Children killed in Nigeria flooding

At least 23 people including several children have died after heavy rains caused flooding in the south of Nigeria, officials said today.

Tunde Adebiyi, an official for the National Emergency Management agency, said most of the victims were children who drowned in the south-western city of Ibadan.

He said people in the city were left with no escape routes after torrential rain on Friday damaged three bridges and made a dam overflow, submerging entire neighbourhoods.

He said that the agency was delivering food, toiletries and medical supplies to thousands of people displaced by floods.

Floods have also killed at least 15 in Nigeria's north over the past couple of weeks.

Last year 500,000 people were displaced nationwide by floods in Nigeria, where the rainy season lasts roughly from June to September.