“I watched helplessly how water washes my family”

Adam Yusuf's life was detained as he lost nine of his family members in Tifin Maza, one of the two communities in his city, the worst hit by floods in Northern Central Nigeria.

One 36-year-old father said his wife and newborn baby were among the floods washed early Thursday morning in Niger.

“She was the one who woke me up when the flood struck, and I quickly gathered the family and told everyone to behave each other. When we went out, we saw water everywhere in the living room and the compound. They fell into panic and we interrupted.”

His wife and baby had just returned to the town of Kracket a day before, after staying at their house in daughter-in-law a few weeks after giving birth.

“I watched helplessly water my family washed. I survived because I could swim. God saved me,” said G -nu.

Local officials say the death rate increased to over 200 on Sunday, which is a sharp increase of 110 on Friday. There are fears that the number can still rise further.

The mood in the Tifin Maza community on Saturday was one of the grief, despair and loss.

The scattered clothes, soaked mattresses and crushed metal roof sheets were one of the last remains of the current hundreds of destroyed houses.

The structures still stand by the heavy effects of floods, with washed roofs or some parts of the buildings are destroyed.

Standing on a blue tile, the only thing that points to where his bedroom once was, G -n -Adam looked around the huge empty space that replaced his community.

“I lost everything from this flood. But the most painful thing is that of my family. The only valuable thing I have now is the fabric I carry, which was given to me even by a friend of mine.”

He said that a relative was found dead and he “resigned to fate, that others would not return” to him alive.

Nineteen -year -old high school graduate Isa Mohammed has been inconsolable since he heard that his beloved teacher's house was washed while the teacher and eight members of his family were inside.

“Two were found dead; one of them was his baby. My teacher, his second child, his sister and four other relatives are still missing. A building fell to his wife who was not inside the house with them, and she died instantly.”

Mohammed also lost a family, remembering his uncle, who died in the disaster.

“Uncle Musa was a very good friend of my late father. He has been taking care of me since my father died in 2023. He has taught me to appreciate education and always told me to do the right thing.

“Every time I am alone and I think about it, the tears always roll on my cheeks. I have not been able to sleep since the incident happened,” said Mohammed.

The water was already withdrawing and the residents gathered on Saturday to offer condolences to the victims, as well as to lend a hand in the search efforts.

Some residents have told the BBC News that the flow is at least 7 feet (2.1 m) in some parts of the community.

There was a strong bad odor around Tifin Maza and residents believe it was proof that there was dead bodies under the thick mud that the floods were washed.

They work to find them and give the dead decent funeral, as they did for others from Thursday.

“I have never seen this kind of floods in my life, but I am grateful that my family has experienced it,” said 65-year-old Ramate Suleiman.

G -ja Suleiman's house was completely destroyed, making his family homeless.

She said that 100 children who slept at the Koran school in two blocks of her house “were all washed”.

“It was a painful view for me. The children called for help, but no one could do anything. When their cries became stronger, their building sank and expire.”

Her son Saliu is left homeless and broke.

“I lost at least $ 1,500 from the floods. These were the proceeds from the sale of my farm on the previous day. I was considering returning to the room to get it, but the pressure of the water scared me,” he said.

“I also lost eleven bags of peanuts and seven bags of beans. My wife and I couldn't choose anything from our room. But I am grateful that we did it on time. There were so many dead bodies in the water.”

He has had nightmares ever since, he said.

“I'm injured.”

Authorities are yet to confirm whether the dam has broken, exacerbating the impact of the last floods, as reported widely.

The head of the Mokuki region, Alhaji Mohamada Shaba Aliyu, told the BBC that there is a “reservoir” in the area that can break water “at any time when there is rain”, but he added that the dimension of the flood is excessive.

Residents told the BBC News that they believe the floods were not caused by heavy rainfall they survived.

“The rain couldn't cause the floods because it subsided and there was no water anywhere. I was out and suddenly saw the water crashing at high speed and scattered everything in its path,” said Mohammed.

Suleiman said, “When I woke up for prayers, I opened the door and looked out and saw no water. In a moment I started to hear people scream. We don't know where it came from. His source is a mystery.”

“For the people who said the flood was the result of the rain, they lie down. The rain stopped before the start of the flood. No one knows the reason for this flood, it is only from God,” said G -n -Adam.

The deputy chairman of Khouqua, Musa Alhaji Aliyu Kimboquko, also rejected this rain caused.

The National Emergency Management Agency said the victims received treatment while the displaced victims were taken to migration bearings and distributed help materials.

The country's meteorological agency predicts that the rain season will last up to 200 days in Central Nigeria this year, until it can stay for a longer period in mostly southern states.

In early May, the Federal Government launched a campaign to raise floods to train citizens of flood risks.

Thirty of the 36 Western Africa countries are at risk of flooding and Niger's state is one of them.

As the victims save what they can from the ruins of their homes to start a new life, those who have lost their loved ones as G -N -Adam said they would never be able to treat even though they had accepted their fate.