Flash floods that swept through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 115 people, with dozens more injured and missing, emergency officials said on Friday, May 30. Torrential rains late Wednesday through early Thursday caused rivers to overflow, submerging and washing away homes in the town of Mokwa, situated along the banks of the Niger River in Niger State.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described the disaster as an “unprecedented flood.” Rescue teams continued to search for missing residents on Friday, with fears that the death toll could rise further. “We have so far recovered 115 bodies, and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far upstream and washed people into the River Niger,” said Ibrahim Audu Husseini, spokesperson for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency. “Downstream, bodies are still being recovered. So, the toll keeps rising.”

Husseini said dozens remain unaccounted for, including a family of 12 in which only four members have been found. “Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes,” he added, noting that rescue teams will need excavators to retrieve victims from the rubble.

The Red Cross reported that at least 78 people have been hospitalized with injuries. Thousands have been displaced, and more than 50 children attending an Islamic school are still missing. The police and military have been deployed to support rescue and relief efforts.

An AFP journalist in Mokwa, located over 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital Abuja, reported that emergency workers and residents were combing through the wreckage of flattened buildings, while floodwaters continued to flow through the town.

The flooding comes as Nigeria’s six-month rainy season begins, a period when heavy rains and poor drainage infrastructure often trigger deadly floods. Scientists warn that climate change is already intensifying extreme weather patterns. In Nigeria, these effects are compounded by unregulated construction on waterways, inadequate drainage systems, and the widespread dumping of waste in drains and water channels.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had issued warnings earlier in the week, cautioning of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria’s 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday.