Flood in north Nigeria kills five people

LAGOS: Flood triggered by a severe downpour on Thursday in northeast Nigeri’s Bauchi state killed five people and damaged 1,567 houses, said an official.

According to Samaila Jarma, council chairman of Jama’ are town in Bauchi, the flood from a local river was triggered by several hours of heavy rain on Tuesday, which damaged houses, farmlands and crops in seven villages of the area.

“We recovered five corpses from the water in submerged areas,” he told reporters in a press briefing in Jama’ are area, adding the bodies were buried in accordance with local tradition following a thorough investigation to establish their identity.

Jarma said the town council has also formed a committee to examine the damage and recommend appropriate measures to the state government.

Nigerian authorities had in May issued an alert to 28 out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the country, warning of severe flooding this year. (Xinhua)