Over 700 people believed to have died in the severe flood in Nigeria

A town in Nigeria,Mokwa, has had their death toll to rise to more than 200 people after a deadly flood hit the town,reported by officials.

Another 500 people are still missing in the town in the central Niger State. However, local official Musa Kimboku told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)that rescue efforts had ceased because authorities no longer believed anyone could still be found alive.

Mohammadu Aliyu,the Mokwa’s district head said, in an effort to prevent disease in the area, authorities will soon start to dig out corpses buried underground.Reconsidering scenes of disasters, local residents told the BBC that they saw their homes and family members get washed away.

One man, Adamu Yusuf, lost his wife and newborn baby.

“I watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim,” he told the BBC.

Another resident, Saliu Sulaiman, said the floods had left him homeless and destroyed some of his cash business profits.I lost at least $1,500 to the floods. It was the proceeds from the sale of my farm produce the previous day. I contemplated going back into the room to get it, but the pressure of the water scared me.”

Some local residents have said that the flooding was so devastating because a nearby dam had burst. However, the authorities have not confirmed this.

Residents said the pressure of the floodwater was so intense that bodies had been washed up in the town of Rabba, at least an hour’s drive from Mokwa.Musa Kimboku, the Deputy Vice-Chairman of Mokwa said they had told neighbouring villages to bury “any corpse that they find.”

District head Mr Aliyu said some bodies were unrecoverable because they had gone “through the River Niger”.

On Sunday, the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) announced it had started the process of providing relief packages to people affected.

The agency added in a post on Facebook that roads and bridges were also affected by the flood, which has had a knock-on effect on the local economy and traffic.The Nigerian Red Cross also released a statement on Friday saying the floods had caused “significant loss of life and widespread distress”.

Floods are not uncommon during the Nigerian rainy season, which lasts from April until October.Therefore the Deputy urges the people of Mokwa to be alert during this period.