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.
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.
