Twelve members of a family were among the people who died in a flood that occurred at Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa communities in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State late Wednesday night.
The flood, which was said to have left many other persons, including over 50 almajirai missing, destroyed many houses.
Mokwa is known as a resting and parking point for travelers and heavy-duty vehicles, making it one of the busiest towns in Niger State.
Daily Trust gathered that many of the victims of the incident, believed to be caused by a torrential downpour on Wednesday night, were children and women.
Although the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed 21 dead, residents said the casualty figure could be over 60.
A student of the Niger State College of Health Technology, identified as Binta, who was in Mokwa for holidays, was among the victims. Her body was said to have been recovered.
A resident of the area, Hajiya Hassana Mokwa, told Daily Trust that 12 of the 13 members of her brother’s family died in incident; while the only survivor was hospitalised.
She said the incident also claimed the lives of some pupils of a Quranic school owned by her cousin.
“In my brother’s house, they were 13 in number and only one person survived and is currently at the hospital.
“Many almajirai pupils in a Quranic school being operated by our cousin also died. Nobody survived in that house and the entire building was submerged. If you go there now, you won’t know if they ever built a house there.
There is a one-storey building which was a residential building. It was completely submerged. As I speak with you, nobody has ascertained the number of people in the rubbles of that building”, she said.
She said as of 7pm yesterday, funerals were being held for those whose bodies had been recovered.
Also speaking to Daily Trust, another resident, one Mallam Hamza Mahmud, said bodies of two members of his family had been recovered; while three others were still missing.
He said the number of people who died were over 60.
The body of a pregnant woman was also recovered around 6pm and four of her children are missing.
Sources said over 50 pupils of another Quranic school were yet to be accounted for as of 7pm yesterday.
One of the sources, Alhaji Baba Adamu, said: “The victims are mostly women and children. There are male adults, but they are not up to the number of women and children who died. “The body of a woman was recovered around 6pm. There is also a Quranic school where most of the pupils have not been found.”
The flood was also said to have cut off the major road linking the North and the South through Mokwa, causing a gridlock.
Residents told Daily Trust that 60 bodies were recovered and over 50 others were missing.
The chairman of Mokwa Local Government Area, Jibril Abdullahi Muregi, who spoke to our correspondent via telephone, said15 bodies had been recovered as at 12 noon.
He said the displaced persons were being sheltered in public primary schools in Mokwa.
A lot of lives have been lost. So far, 15 bodies have been recovered, and a lot of properties have been destroyed.
A lot of lives have been lost. So far, 15 bodies have been recovered, and a lot of properties have been destroyed”, Muregi said
A resident, Mallam Bala Umar, said as of 1pm, over 20 bodies had been recovered.
“The extent of destruction and number of lives lost have not been ascertained because up till this moment, bodies are being recovered from the water.
This water flowed from somewhere that we don’t know. The rain that fell in the night was not that heavy.
“Travelers are stranded because movements of vehicles to the south and from the north have stopped as the road is cut off,” he said.
Another resident, Tswata Mai Rubutu, stated: “Many families have lost homes, businesses have been destroyed, and precious belongings swept away”.
The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed to Daily Trust that 21 bodies were recovered and 10 persons were missing.
He said over 50 houses were destroyed. Arah said three people—a mother and her two children—were rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention.
“NSEMA is in receipt of a report of a deadly flood disaster that ravaged two communities of Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa in Mokwa town of Mokwa LGA.
The incident occurred last night during a torrential downpour of very high intensity that lasted several hours. The surging flood water submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their occupants.
In response, the agency, in collaboration with Mokwa LG authority, local divers and very brave volunteers, is conducting search and rescue operations.
“Twenty-one corpses have so far been recovered of those who sadly lost their lives in the incident, while over 10 persons are still missing as search and rescue efforts continue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Mohammed Bago, has sympathised with the victims and their families. The governor, in a message through his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, described the incident as saddening, heartbreaking and pathetic.
“I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and property in the unfortunate incident, and pray that Allah will grant the deceased eternal rest”, he said.
He directed the Niger State Emergency Management Agency and other relevant stakeholders to take immediate necessary actions, as well as assess the situation to ascertain the level of destruction, with a view to bringing succour to those affected.
He called on the people of Mokwa to remain calm, saying the state government would work to ensure the safety of ever
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