Nigeria Floods Kill 80% of Zoo Animals in Borno

Floods in north Nigeria have killed more than 80% of animals in a large zoo with an array of wildlife from lions and crocodiles to buffaloes and ostriches, the facility said.

"Some deadly animals have been washed away into our communities, like crocodiles and snakes," Sanda Kyarimi Park Zoo added in a statement on the floods in northern Borno state, urging residents to take precautions.

Floods began when a dam overflowed following heavy rains, uprooting thousands of people.

The disaster has affected other facilities in the state capital Maiduguri including the post office and a teaching hospital, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu's office said, telling people to evacuate worst-hit areas.

"President Tinubu extends his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of the state, especially to the families that have lost their means of livelihood due to the disaster triggered by the overflow of the Alau Dam," the statement said, saying humanitarian needs would be addressed.

Floods in the northeast killed at least 49 people last month, while a 2022 flood killed more than 600.

Borno state, the birthplace of Boko Haram, is already grappling with a 15-year insurgency that has killed and displaced many.

Meanwhile Floods from torrential rains killed at least 18 people in the southern Morocco provinces of Tata, Tiznit, Errachidia, Tinghir and Taroudant, authorities said in a latest death toll.

At least four others were missing after floods swamped many villages in the area, authorities added.

The dead include three foreign nationals from Spain, Canada and Peru, it said.

Footage released showed rescuers digging through the rubble of destroyed buildings in Aoukerda in the Tata region.

The floods destroyed 56 homes and damaged 110 roads, as well as damaging electricity, water supply and phone networks.