Nigeria: Death toll rises to at least 200 in devastating floods

At least 200 people died in the devastating flooding that hit the market town of Mokwa in Nigeria last week, officials said on Sunday.

Another 500 people are still missing but rescue operations were called off, as local authorities no longer believe there could be any survivors.

Floods swept through Mokwa, in the north-central Niger State, after torrential rain fell on Wednesday night and into Thursday.

Located nearly 380 kilometres west of Abuja, Mokwa is a major trading and transportation hub where northern Nigerian farmers sell beans, onions and other food to traders from the south.

Officials said this is the region’s worst flood in 60 years.

Authorities are currently digging out corpses from under the rubbles to prevent the outbreak of disease.

The spokesperson for the Niger State emergency service, Ibrahim Audu Husseini, said more than 3,000 people were displaced.

Husseini also said that two roads were washed away, and two bridges collapsed in the area.

Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu expressed his "heartfelt condolences to the affected families and the good people of Niger State at this difficult time", in a statement released on Saturday.

He also said he had directed the activation of an emergency response to support victims and “accelerate” recovery.

The National Emergency Management Agency has begun to provide relief packages to people affected.

Flooding is common during Nigeria’s wet season, which runs from around April to October, but climate change has made extreme weather more likely.

Heavy flooding that killed more than 600 people in Nigeria in 2022 was made 80 times more likely and 20% more intense, according to World Weather Attribution.

Inadequate drainage infrastructure is also believed to have exacerbated the impacts of flooding. 

The chairman of the Mokwa local government area, Jibril Muregi, told local news outlet Premium Times that "critical infrastructure is essential to mitigating future flood risks and protecting lives and property.”