Niger: Floods this July claimed 22 lives

By Alaattin Dogru

DAKAR, Senegal

A total of 22 people have been killed in floods in Niger since early July, an official of the West African country said on state television on Thursday.

Laouan Magagi, minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management, announced the statistics for seasonal floods spanning July 1 to Aug. 6.

Magagi said more than 3,000 houses were destroyed and 50,000 people were affected by the floods.

He added that around 2,000 people were left homeless in Niamey, the country's capital, alone.

In last year's floods, 56 people were killed and 206,000 people were affected.