Flood destroys at least 4,000 houses in Nigeria

At least 4,000 houses have been destroyed by flood which wreaked havoc in Nigeria's Cross River State due to the intensity of rainfall in the West African country, a rescue agency official said on Tuesday.

More than 13,000 farms were also destroyed by the flood which swept through seven districts in the state, John Inaku, chief coordinator of the state-run emergency management agency, told reporters at a news conference.

He said, in total, 46 communities were affected by the flood.

Two boats have already been acquired by government of the southern state to evacuate victims of the disaster to a higher ground, according to the official.

He told Xinhua some relief materials had been donated to the victims.

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