Niger flood: Death toll hits 115

The number of deaths recorded from the Thursday devastating flood in Niger State has risen to 115, official sources have confirmed.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba Arah, who confirmed the latest figures to our correspondent on Friday, said over 300 houses were destroyed.

The flood, which ravaged Mokwa, the headquarters of Mokwa Local Government Area, on Thursday, was reported to have caused the death of about 20 persons.

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However, Arah said the latest casualty figure was confirmed around 5pm on Friday, adding that search and rescue operations were still ongoing as more people were yet to be accounted for.

Residents of the area told Weekend Trust that families were still reeling from the loss of loved ones, with grief and despair hanging heavy over the community.

Besides, there are claims that several travellers, who stopped over as usual for prayers or to pass the night in the busy Mokwa town, were affected by the flood, and several of them have not been identified.

Weekend Trust gathered that many families have been completely wiped out. Schools and places of worship were submerged, further compounding the tragedy as some residents claim the fatalities have indeed risen within the last 24 hours.

A local, M.D. Mai Rubutu, told Weekend Trust that more bodies were recovered on Friday, but could not give details of the number.

One woman identified as Kaka Dazana reportedly lost all four of her children and was barely rescued herself, even as a single family reportedly lost 13 out of 15 members, and a woman and her three children remain missing, with no signs of survival.

A large mosque, once considered a place of refuge, collapsed while it was filled with worshippers. Eyewitnesses say even those who sought safety on the rooftop were not spared.

While the total number of casualties remains unknown, many are believed to have been swept into the River Niger through the Rabba and Koshaba valleys.