A woman and her five children were among
no fewer than 38 persons killed after heavy
rainfall in Jos North forced a dam to
overflow, flooding Rikkos and Gangere
areas of the Plataeu State on Sunday
evening.
No fewer than 100 persons were displaced,
with at least 50 declared missing and over
50 houses swept away.
The rain, which started at about 4.30pm,
lasted for more than eight hours before it
subsided.
Meteorologists had predicted heavy rainfall
in Jos in July. Figures obtained from the
Meteorological Department had predicted
that Jos would experience heavy flooding
with forecast for Sunday put at +18 degree
centigrade to +22 degrees centigrade.
A former Councillor representing Rikkos/
Gangere ward, Mr. Abdullahi Gangere, told
our correspondent in an interview that
more than 30 people were swept away by
the heavy flooding that accompanied the
torrential rainfall.
“I went there to assess the extent of damage
and it was much. We are still searching for
a lot of people mostly children who were
swept away by the flood,” he said.
A resident of the area, Abubakar Mahmud,
said many of the residents were sleeping
when the floods came.

He said, “Because it was dark nobody could
see anything. The floods just carried the
houses and people living in them along and
none of the victims could receive any help.”
Acting Zonal Coordinator of the National
Emergency Management Agency, Mr.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, who confirmed the
development to our correspondent in Jos on
Monday, said that 17 people were
confirmed dead in the flood, adding that
rescue efforts were still ongoing for the
missing persons.
He said, “We were informed of the
development at about 8.30 this morning
and our search and rescue team got there
one hour after. As at the time we got there
14 bodies have been pulled out and three
others were pulled out from under the
bridge.
“The bodies were also being prepared for
burial. We are coordinating the rescue
efforts with the Red Cross, Ja’amatu Nasril
Islam and Ja’amatu Izalatil Bidi’a
Wa’iqamatis Sunna to find the over 50
missing persons mostly children. We have
requested for their photographs and other
details for the search and rescue
operation.”
He added, “We have opened three camps
for the displaced persons at Government
Secondary School, Rikkos and Gangere
Primary School, Gangere.”
However, the Red Cross told AFP on Monday
the flooding killed at least 35 persons,
destroying or damaging some 200 homes.
Head of the Red Cross in the state, Manasie
Phampe, said, “We have recovered the
bodies of 35 people that drowned in the
overnight flooding. About 200 homes have
either been submerged or destroyed.”
The confirmed victims so far included a 90-
year-old woman and a three-month-old
baby, adding that the toll could rise, he
said.
Phampe added, “Rainwater and water from
the Lamingo dam which overflowed swept
across several neighbourhoods in the city.
“We are still searching for more bodies as
many people have been declared missing.”
He said that already relief materials in the
form of beddings, toiletries and other
consumables have been made available to
the displaced persons.
Commissioner for Environment, Mrs. Sarah
Yusuf, told our correspondent that both
NEMA and SEMA were coordinating relief
efforts as well as providing relief materials
to the displaced victims.

www.punchng.com/news/38-killed-50-missing-in-jos-flood/

Na wah o, after artificial disaster (boko haram) now natural disaster...! God have mercy..

Bad leadership was responsible for the burst dam.