Thousands of homes destroyed by floods, more than 60 fatalities, Niger
Heavy rains and floods affecting Niger since the start of the rainy season in June have affected more than 100 000 people, left thousands of homes destroyed and more than 60 people dead. In addition, the country was hit by an outbreak of cholera following the floods, with additional 68 fatalities.
According to the country's civil protection agency, floods affected 413 villages across 77 communes in all 8 regions — Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Tillabéri, and Zinder.1
The worst affected were the regions of Maradi with 3 243 homes destroyed, Zinder with 2 354, Tahoua with 1 040, and the capital region of Niamey with 714 destroyed homes.
According to the UN, cholera outbreak is affecting several regions of the country following the floods.
There were 1 770 cases and 68 additional fatalities due to the disease in the regions of Agadez and Diffa as of August 23.
Case fatality is estimated at 4%.2
References:
1 Niger – Flooding Reported in All Regions, Over 60 Dead and 100,000 Affected – FloodList
2 OCHA – Status Report – Highlights (25 August 2021)
Featured image: CGTN Africa
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