Flood kills 18 in northern Nigeria: official

At least 18 people have been killed by flood in Nigeria's northern state of Jigawa due to recent downpours, an official said on Tuesday.

A total of 6,637 houses were also destroyed as the flood swept through 19 local districts in the state, Yusuf Sani, coordinator of the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency, told Xinhua.

Some of the deaths were due to collapse of buildings, he said, adding that the government has agreed to compensate the victims for their loss.

Last month, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had predicted flooding in some 11 states across the country, urging the government to take pro-active action against the disaster.

The meteorological agency said there were prospects of flooding between August and October due to current high intensity rainfall, particularly because the soil moisture had "either reached saturation or near saturation levels". Endit