14 killed, over 46,000 affected by Niger floods

Torrential rains witnessed in Niger in recent weeks have left at least 14 people dead, five injured, 46,296 affected and led to destruction of a lot of properties across the country.

To respond to this emergency humanitarian situation, the state has deployed 326 tons of food assistance, said a government statement on Thursday.

"Authorities were in consultations with the country's technical and financial partners to bring non-food aid," it said.

Niger, a Sahelian state that is poor and dry, is always confronted with severe food crises mostly caused by drought or floods. The rainy seasons lasts for three months between July, August and September.

Early this week, the Niger Basin Authority issued a statement warning of possible risks of serious floods in Niamey, the Nigerien capital, following heavy rains witnessed in the last month in the river Niger zone.

In August 2012, floods caused by heavy torrential rains in Niger left a total of 70 people dead, over 70,350 houses destroyed and about 500,000 people affected across the entire national territory.

Source : XINHUA