At least 21 children and adults have been confirmed dead and over 10 others still missing by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), following a severe rainfall which resulted in a flood disaster that ravaged communities in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
Faulting the statistics, residents claimed that the death toll from the devastating flood that swept through Mokwa town has risen to more than 60 with rescue workers still searching the water to recover more bodies from submerged homes and farmlands.
Meanwhile, three people were rescued alive, a woman and her two children, and were said to be receiving treatment at Mokwa General Hospital after sustaining varying degrees of injuries following the flood.
The deceased and missing residents were said to be occupants of the over 50 residential houses that were submerged and washed away by the flood that crippled activities in the communities.
The tragedy that enveloped the state on Thursday was said to have occurred within Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa communities in Mokwa town after many minutes of heavy rainfall recorded in the state.
Residents and local officials have described the flood that ravaged the communities as the deadliest in the history of the town.
Community sources said many victims were caught in their sleep as the waters surged through residential areas, destroying houses, farmlands, and critical infrastructure.
“The scale of destruction and the number of deaths recorded in this single incident has never been experienced before in Mokwa,” a resident, Musa Ibrahim, said.
While the exact cause of the flooding is yet to be confirmed, local speculation points to a possible release of water from the Kainji Dam.
The Chairman of Mokwa Local Government Area, Jibrin Muregi, confirmed the rising casualty figure and called on the Niger State Government and relevant federal agencies to urgently intervene with relief materials and long-term support for affected communities.
“This is a tragic day for us. We are overwhelmed by the destruction and the high number of lives lost,” the chairman added.
The Director General of the agency, Ibrahim Hussaini, who disclosed this to newsmen in Minna, the state capital on Thursday, said the incident occurred during a torrential downpour on Wednesday night, causing widespread destruction.
The emergency officer said 21 bodies have so far been recovered in the incident while over 10 persons were still missing as search and rescue operations continued.
He said NSEMA in collaboration with Mokwa Local Government, local divers, and volunteers were conducting search and rescue operations to rescue survivors and recover corpses.
