Flooding kills 4, destroys crops in Benin

Tuesday
September 4,  2012

Africa

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By AFP
Posted  Tuesday, September 4  2012 at  03:34

Heavy rains that flooded the Niger River along the northern border of the West African nation of Benin have killed at least four people and destroyed farmland, officials said on Monday.

News of casualties and flood damage in Benin came after authorities in neighbouring Niger announced last week that at least 52 people had been killed and nearly 400,000 displaced by flooding there since mid-July.

"Four people have already lost their lives following flooding in certain areas of northern Benin (Karimama and Malanville), along the border with Niger, due to strong rains which led to the overflowing of the Niger River," the interior ministry said in a statement.

Interior Minister Benoit Degla said a number of hectares of farmland had been destroyed and warned the situation could worsen.

West Africa often sees heavy flooding during the rainy season. In 2010, Benin recorded 43 deaths, with some 700,000 people affected.