LAGOS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in north Nigeria's devastating floods reached 53 in the last four months, while 30 people were still missing, the country's disaster management body said Friday.
Ishaya Chonoko, a zonal coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the agency recorded 51 deaths in Katsina State, two in Kaduna State, while 30 persons were confirmed missing in Jibiya, a border town in Katsina State.
The floods occurred between May 3 and Sept. 8, affecting 29 areas of the two states.
The agency attributed the floods to blocked drainages, construction of structures along water channels and illegal mining along river banks.
The government, through NEMA and the National Hydrological Services Agencies, has warned that 12 states across the country would soon experience flooding due to torrential rains.
In 2012, catastrophic flooding affected up to 30 states in Nigeria, killing over 300 people and displacing more than 2 million others, according to NEMA data. Enditem
