NIAMEY, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- A total of 195 people have been killed in heavy downpours in Niger since June, the country's General Directorate of Civil Protection said Monday in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
The tragedies occurred as a result of drowning or the collapse of their habitats, most built from clay.
Also, 327,343 people were adversely affected, including 211 injuries, due to torrential rains, the most affected regions are Zinder and Maradi, according to the General Directorate of Civil Protection.
The river flood caused by heavy downpours in Diffa affected 15,404 people and 2,452 households last week. Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou went to Diffa last Saturday to inquire about the damage in several districts and villages.
Mahamadou chaired an emergency meeting with the heads of humanitarian and regional organizations to consider taking immediate and long-term emergency measures, including finding sites to settle populations, supplying water and foods and protecting the city of Diffa with sand dikes, said the prime minister.
In 2021, summer rains caused 77 deaths and affected 250,331 people in Niger. ■