From John Adams, Minna
No fewer than seven people have been declared missing after a torrential rainfall that ripped through several communities in Mashegun and Magma local government areas of Niger State.
Also affected were 89 houses which were either submerged or completely washed away by the floods, including three vehicles.
Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) in a statement by the Director General Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Ara confirming the disaster in Minna on Saturday, saying the agency received the reports of flood disasters in Mashegun and Magama local government areas of the state on Friday night.
According to him “the flood was caused by a torrential rainfall that lasted from the early hours of Friday, 30th August (2:00 am) to Noon.”
He further disclosed that seven people had so far been declared missing, while more than 89 houses were affected, adding that, hundreds of hectares of farm lands and three vehicles were also washed away.
The Director General gave the names of some of the affected communities as Sabon Pegi in Mashegu and Nassarawa in Magama local government areas.
He pointed out that search and rescue operations by staff of NSEMA and volunteers, including local divers within the affected communities had begun.