….As Niger Gov Calls For Help
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The death toll that followed Wednesday night’s flood that swept through three villages in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State, has climaxed to 115 while 150 persons were said to have been injured according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
This was as the SEMA, in conjunction with local divers and other relevant stakeholders, continue to make frantic efforts to search for more survivors and dead bodies.
It was said that over 200 households were either damaged or completely washed away by the flood.
The flood was said to have cut off the only make-shift bridge in Mokwa town on the road linking the southern parts of the country with the north, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded in Mokwa town since Wednesday night when the flood occurred.
Disturbed by the magnitude of the destruction, the state government has appealed to the federal government for help, even as it has asked all relevant agencies to provide immediate relief to the people, especially the injured and those whose houses were washed away.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication and Media Strategy, Jonathan Vatsa said the state government will require assistance from the federal government to be able cope with the situation due to the magnitude of the disaster, pointing out that “the state government will not be able to cope with the current situation. “This is the highest flood disaster that has occurred in the state in recent time. The destruction is huge and this is beyond what the state government can handle. That is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to immediately come to our aid”.
Meanwhile the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, accompanied with some top government officials have paid on-the-spot assessment to the affected where he was said to have described the disaster as unimaginable.
The Deputy Governor appealed to the people to remain calm, assuring that all relevant agencies were intensifying efforts to rescue possible survivors.
He gave an order that some of the injured be evacuated to the Federal Medical Centre, Bida for proper medical attention.