No fewer than 45 people have died in Niger republic from a flood that also displaced 226,000 others, reports said on Saturday.
The floods follow days of heavy rain causing an overflow of the Niger River and practically shutting down the capital, Niamey.
Mud huts along the river have collapsed and rice fields are submerged, reports said.
Prime Minister Brigi Rafini who visited affected neighbourhoods and families said that with River Dike rehabilitation work completed just before the rainy season, flooding should not have happened.
Rafini said additional measures will be taken to protect other threatened areas, because with climate change, “we are never safe from floods.”
Last year, according to government figures, floods in Niger killed at least 57 people and forced more than 132,500 to abandon their homes.
