At least 117 people have died in floods in the town of Mokwa in the Nigerian state of Niger, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities, BTA reported.
The head of the operations center in the state capital, Husseini Issa, said that many more people were at risk and that rescue operations were continuing today.
“The number of victims continues to rise“, he added.
The floods were caused by heavy rains that lasted for several hours. According to local media, citing local residents and regional government officials, the collapse of a nearby dam further worsened the situation.
The city of Mokwa is an important meeting point for traders from the south of the country and food producers from the north.
In a similar incident last September, heavy rains and the collapse of a dam in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri caused severe flooding that killed at least 30 people and forced millions to flee their homes, worsening a humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
Seasonal floods are common in Nigeria and have hit particularly hard populated areas along the banks of the Niger and Benue rivers, the AP notes.