The Niger Civil Defense said Thursday that the floods caused by heavy rains have killed about 200 people and affected more than a quarter of a million people, describing the outcome as one of the highest recorded losses.
He added that the floods of the rainy season killed 192 people, affected more than 263,000 people and destroyed more than 30,000 homes, in addition to stopping classes and damaging medical centers and grain stores.
The most affected areas are Moradi and Zinder in the center of the country, Dosso in the southwest and Tawa in the west.
The rainy season in Niger, located in the center of the arid Sahel region, usually runs from June to September, and often results in loss of life.
In 2021, 70 people were killed and 200,000 were affected, and the death toll was 73 in 2020.
This year's heavy rains are in line with models for the impacts of climate change, said National Meteorological Agency chief Katilu Japtiya Lawan.
Niger is the poorest country in the world according to the 2020 Human Development Index developed by the United Nations Development Program.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent said in July that more than 4.4 million people - more than a fifth of the population - were "seriously" food insecure.