Over 100 Dead After Devastating Flood Submerges Entire Town.
At least 111 people have been confirmed dead after massive flooding submerged the market town of Mokwa in central Nigeria’s Niger State, officials said Friday. The disaster followed hours of torrential rain on Thursday, compounded by the reported collapse of a nearby dam, which sent water surging into the community and forced widespread evacuations.
Rescue efforts continued into Friday afternoon, with more bodies recovered throughout the day, raising the confirmed death toll from an initial 88 to 111-and that number could still rise, according to Niger State emergency agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu Husseini.
“More bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted,” he told The Associated Press by phone.
The flooding in Mokwa marks one of the deadliest natural disasters in Nigeria so far this year, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to extreme weather events and aging infrastructure. Mokwa is a major commercial hub where southern traders purchase food from the north-meaning the disaster could also disrupt local food supply chains. The catastrophe comes amid growing concern about how climate change and inadequate infrastructure are intensifying the impact of seasonal rains across West Africa.
Mokwa is situated approximately 140 miles west of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and lies near the Niger River, making it highly flood prone.
Hussaini said that approximately 3,000 homes were submerged across two communities in the north-central state.
The flooding was worsened by the collapse of a nearby dam, according to local officials, and follows a similar event in Maiduguri last year that killed at least 30 people.
Nigeria frequently suffers from seasonal floods, particularly in riverine communities like Mokwa. The effects are often compounded by poor drainage infrastructure and rapid urban growth.
In 2022, Nigeria faced its most severe flooding in over a decade, resulting in more than 600 deaths, the displacement of approximately 1.4 million people, and the destruction of 440,000 hectares of farmland.
Videos circulating online show entire neighborhoods underwater, with residents wading through waist-deep floodwaters and rooftops barely visible above muddy currents.
Authorities are continuing recovery operations in Mokwa while monitoring rising water levels in surrounding regions. Humanitarian agencies may be called upon for displacement assistance, as many residents have lost their homes or access to essential services.
The disaster is likely to reignite calls for long-promised climate adaptation infrastructure in Nigeria-particularly in high-risk areas where seasonal flooding is becoming more frequent and more deadly due to climate change and underinvestment in public works.
(miami herald)