At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema) confirmed to the BBC the death toll had risen sharply from 115, after floods hit the town of Mokwa.
A Nsema spokesman told the BBC more than 500 households with a population in excess of 3,000 people were affected. Some families are said to have lost between two and five relatives including children.
The agency warned the death toll could rise further after people were washed into the River Niger below the town.
Local authorities said 11 people had been rescued and taken to hospitals for treatment.
Nsema said the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts of Mokwa were worst affected.
Mokwa’s district head Muhammad Shaba Aliyu said it has been 60 years since the community had suffered this kind of flooding.
“I beg the government to support us,” Mr Aliyu said.
But the officials appear to be overwhelmed by the scale of destruction as families desperately seek food and shelter.
Mokwa is located at the edge of the River Niger, a transit point between the northern and southern part of Nigeria.
A bridge linking the northern and south-western parts of the country has collapsed in the floods and left motorists stranded.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu directed “all relevant emergency and security agencies to intensify ongoing search and rescue operations”.
Torrential rain fell in the region on late Wednesday into Thursday, causing flash floods.
Nigeria’s rainy season is just beginning and usually lasts from April to October.
Authorities have warned of heavy downpours in at least 15 of the country’s 36 states.
