Niger ups floods death toll to 94
by AFP Staff Writers
Niamey, Niger (AFP) Aug 9, 2024

Floods battering Niger since June have killed at least 94 people and affected more than 137,000, authorities said on Friday as more heavy rain was predicted.

A UN toll on July 15 said there were 53 dead in the floods which it said had been worsened by the effects of climate change.

The update counted 137,156 people affected, 93 injured and "unfortunately 94 lives lost", said Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management Minister Aissa Lawan Wandarma.

The deaths included "44 by drowning and 50 in dwelling collapses", Wandarma told the press saying the figures were collated Wednesday.

The national meteorological service is forecasting more heavy rainfall in August, usually Niger's wettest month.

The capital Niamey is the latest to be hit by rising waters, with at least four deaths and several injured, according to the interior ministry.

Nigelec, Niger's electricity company, said it had cut power in the city of two million people numerous times "as a safety measure".

All of Niger's regions have now been affected, with Maradi in the south, Zinder in the southeast and Tahoua in the west especially hard-hit.

Wandarma said there was a shortage of drinking water and the spread of diseases including malaria and cholera in the worst-hit areas.

More than 15,000 homes had been destroyed, the disaster management minister added, along with 15,472 livestock.

The rainy season from June to September regularly brings a heavy death toll. In 2022 there were 195 deaths and 400,000 people affected.

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