Nigeria floods: Guterres ‘deeply saddened’ by loss of life and rising need

Pulse 20:26 - 11 October 2018

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday he is “deeply saddened”, as the Government of Nigeria announced that some 200 people have died, and a further 1,310 injured, due to flooding across a dozen states. Overall, around two million have been affected.

Nigeria’s two main rivers, the Niger and the Benue, burst their banks after heavy rains began in August, and the country has been experiencing large-scale floods ever since. A state of national disaster has been declared in the four most-affected states of Kogi, Niger, Anambra and Delta.

More than 561,000 people are internally displaced as a result and over 350,000 need immediate help - especially temporary shelter, food, safe drinking water, household items and medical care.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations (UN).

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