According to emergency services, rain and flood-related incidents have killed more than 300 people in Nigeria and left nearly 100,000 homeless.
76 killed when boat capsizes in Nigeria
Nigeria A major accident has happened in Anambra state. 76 people have died after their boat capsized in a flood-hit river here. It is being told that the boat was overloaded. There were more people in it than capacity, due to which the balance got disturbed and the boat capsized in the river. President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the incident on Sunday. According to the information, this incident happened on Friday due to floods in the Niger River. There were 85 people in the boat. The boat capsized due to the fast-moving flood waters in the state’s Ogbaru area.
The President’s office quoted him as saying that emergency services have been directed to provide relief to the victims. Expressing grief over the incident, President Buhari said, ‘I wish for the peace of the soul of the victims in this incident, the safety of all and the well-being of the family members of the victims.’ Earlier, the emergency services had said on Sunday that the rescue work was hampered due to the rise in the water level of the river. National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) South-East Coordinator Thickeman Tanimu told AFP news agency, ‘The water level is very high. Because of this, the search and rescue operation is getting difficult.
Government will give relief to the affected people
He said that this time the situation was worst in the country due to floods. The water level is higher than a decade ago. At the same time, NEMA has appealed to the Nigerian Air Force to provide helicopters for the rescue operation. The governor of Anambra state, Charles Soludo, has urged people living in flood-affected areas to move to a safer place. It has also been said that the government will provide all possible relief to the people affected by the disaster. “This incident is a major setback for the government and the people of Anambra state,” Soludo said in a statement. I sympathize with the families of those affected by this.
Heavy damage to farm and crops
Boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria. The reasons for this are the presence of more people in the boat, over speed, poor maintenance and violation of navigation rules. Ever since the beginning of the rainy season, many areas in this West African country have been devastated by floods. According to emergency services, more than 300 people have died and 100,000 have been rendered homeless due to rain and flood-related incidents. Already bled from the effects of the pandemic and the Ukraine war, the heavy rains in this country have caused great damage to farms and crops. Lack of food also remains a serious problem.
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