In north-western Nigeria, two children have died following a building collapse amid ongoing severe flooding, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The collapse occurred in Katsina, one of the seven north-western states severely impacted by the floods. Another child sustained injuries from the incident.
NEMA reported that the floods have caused at least 179 fatalities nationwide, with tens of thousands displaced from their homes.
President Bola Tinubu expressed deep sorrow over the devastation, stressing the need to tackle “environmental concerns” and foster a “more climate resilient and adaptive society.”
The floods have destroyed approximately 107,000 hectares of farmland, exacerbating Nigeria’s existing economic crisis marked by high inflation and foreign currency shortages.
Many displaced individuals had already been forced to flee militant attacks before the floods.
The UN’s refugee agency described the floods as a “devastating” event leading to significant “death and destruction.”
This year’s flooding follows Nigeria’s worst floods in over a decade in 2022, which resulted in more than 600 deaths and displaced around 1.3 million people.
Source-BBC
