Families still searching for missing relatives weeks after floods devastate Nigeria

​​​​​​​By Timothy Olanrewaju

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Families of those missing said Wednesday they are waiting to find their relatives weeks after devasting floods struck Nigeria.

Dozens of victims, including children, have been missing and unaccounted for despite search and rescue efforts after floods wreaked havoc in the northeast.

At least 400 have so far died in Nigeria.

Maiduguri in Borno State, is one of the worst-hit cities after floods hit the region from Sept. 9 - 13.

Authorities blamed the collapse of a dam as well as the release of excess water from neighboring Cameroon.

Yusuf Balami told Anadolu he could not find his 72-year-old father after he spent days of searching.

"We've searched for my dad in all public and private hospitals in the city and mortuaries. He is still missing. We only hope and wait to see him dead or alive," he said.

For Nafisat Ahmed, a widow, the disappearance of her 12-year-old son on Sept. 10 was a double tragedy after she lost her husband in a terror attack years ago.

The boy had volunteered to return to his apartment to pick up his mother’s medicine and debit card after escaping surging flood waters.

"I and his two elder brothers waited for long but Mohammed never returned," Ahmed told Anadolu.

Two other families shared similar stories of anxiety and anguish of endless waiting for their relatives believed to have been swept away by the floods that have killed at least 50 in Maiduguri and displaced 2 million residents.

Commissioner for Information and Internal Security in Borno State, Usman Tahir, told Anadolu that the state government is "still taking stock of the victims."

Borno State Emergency Management Agency head Barkindo Saidu said authorities have established a reporting desk to collect statistics on those who are missing.

Most parts of the central and west African region as well as the Sahel have been experiencing severe floods because of heavy rainfall.

About 300 people have been killed by flood in neighboring Niger.​​​​​​​