More than 600 people have died since June in Nigeria’s deadliest floods in a decade caused by exceptional rains, forcing 1.3 million people to flee their homes, according to a new report from authorities.
Since the start of the rainy season, many parts of Africa’s most populous country have been devastated by floods, raising fears of worsening food insecurity and inflation.
“Unfortunately, more than 603 lives were lost” and another 2,400 injured in the floods, the Nigerian Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said on Sunday.
More rain in the coming weeks
The death toll has risen “astronomically” as many Nigerian states failed to prepare for such heavy rains, the ministry said.
The rainy season usually starts in June, but the floods have been especially deadly since August, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema). Heavy rain is expected again in Nigeria in the coming weeks, raising fears of further damage.
In 2012, particularly deadly floods left 363 dead and 2.1 million displaced.
Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected by climate change and many of its economies are dealing with the repercussions of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
