Niger: At Least 52 Drown in Floods

At least 52 passengers on board two public transport buses drowned in an accident in the desert of western Niger, a country that has been experiencing floods since June, according to state media on Wednesday.

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The Nigerien Press Agency reported that “the initial toll indicates 52 dead and several missing.”

A local journalist told AFP, “I saw 33 bodies… but there were also survivors,” noting that the accident occurred overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday.

The accident happened in the Tahoua region (west), 70 kilometers from the city of the same name, on the road linking it to the Tilia area, according to the Nigerien Press Agency.

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Another local source explained that “two vehicles carrying many passengers to the market in the town of Telmèsis were trapped in a waterway before being swept away by a strong current.”

According to the official agency, “the search continues… the gendarmerie and national guard are working hard,” noting that the victims were traders from Niger and neighboring Nigeria.

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Major floods caused by the rainy season have killed at least 94 people and affected over 137,000 by August 7, according to Niger’s Minister of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Management, Issa Lawan Wandarma.