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At least 40 killed as Nigeria dam bursts

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At least 40 killed as Nigeria dam bursts

Postby Richard Akindele » Sun Oct 01, 2006 2:37 pm

At least 40 people were killed when a reservoir dam burst in Nigeria's northern city of Gusau, washing away more than 100 houses, local media reported on Sunday.

Heavy rainfall swelled the reservoir to critical levels forcing the dam to collapse and sending a barrage of water through villages in the northern state of Zamfara on Saturday.

"The body of water was just like the pictures of tsunami that we have seen," Zamfara state governor Ahmed Sani told the BBC Hausa Service, adding that at least 40 people were killed.

"It had enough force and speed to sweep people off their feet and into the river."

The reservoir was the main source of drinking water for Zamfara state capital Gusau.

One woman who had given birth five days before said her baby was washed away, ThisDay newspaper reported.

"I just went to a neighbourhood when the baby was asleep and before I could return the house was flooded and I could not find my baby," the woman who gave her name as Saratu told the paper.

Reuters
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Feared dam-collapse victims found alive in Nigeria

Postby Richard Akindele » Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:39 pm

All but one of 40 people feared to have drowned in torrential flooding in northern Nigeria's Zamfara state have been found alive and well, officials said on Monday.

The local residents were declared missing presumed dead after torrential rains caused a dam to burst on Saturday on the outskirts of the state capital Gusau, sweeping away 500 houses.

Except for one person still missing, all have been found unhurt, a spokesperson for Zamfara state governor told Agence France-Presse by telephone. The spokesperson had on Sunday said at least 40 people were killed and 1 000 displaced in the dam collapse.

"We later found out that these people fled their homes when they sighted the flood heaving towards their houses and sought shelter elsewhere. They later reported to a secondary school where displaced families are provided with temporary shelter," the spokesperson, Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji, explained.

The flood, which officials described as a "tsunami of a sort", caused major damage to property and livestock in the area as well as a large swathe of farmland that was almost due for harvest.

Gusau has been cut off from the southern parts of Zamfara state after the flooding caused a major bridge to collapse.

AFP
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