Nigeria floods kill 137, displace thousands
People pass through a make-shift bridge after an heavy flood swept away a connecting bridge in Nigeria's south-west city of Ibadan, 150km (90 miles) north of commercial hub Lagos August 30, 2011. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye (NIGERIA - Tags: SOCIETY)
Image by: AKINTUNDE AKINLEYE / REUTERS
Image by: AKINTUNDE AKINLEYE / REUTERS
Floods across Nigeria have killed 137 people and displaced more than 30,000 since the beginning of July, the local Red Cross said on Sunday.
Nigeria, which has a rainy season from May to September suffers from seasonal flash floods, which are sometimes lethal, especially in rural areas or overcrowded slums where drainage is poor or nonexistent.
Red Cross spokesman Umar Mairiga said the floods had affected some 15 local government areas, with the worst hit being Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the east-central part of the country.
"We are expecting the numbers of dead or displaced to keep building up," he said, putting the latest displaced figure at 36,331.
There have been no reports so far of major damage to agriculture or industry.
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