At least 35 people have been confirmed dead and 50 others declared missing yesterday after flood destroyed hundreds of homes late on Sunday in three communities of Jos.
Seven children of the same family were washed away, five of them later found dead while the two others are still missing.
Another family lost four children, and a man said he was yet to find his wife and kids.
Elsewhere, the body of a yet-to-be identified woman was found hanging on a banana tree with her baby strapped to her back after the waters receded, witnesses said.
The flood came as a result of torrential rains that lasted for many hours on Sunday night, destroying homes at Tudun Talakawa, Tudun Osi, Gadar Yan Tukwane in Rikkos area, as well as Anguwan Rogo and some parts of Gangare, all in Jos North local government area of Plateau State.
Hundreds of people including women and children are now taking shelter at the Muslim Community Education Centre, Rikkos as well as the LEA Primary School, Gangare.
A Daily Trust reporter witnessed a mass prayer held for 14 of the dead, among them 90-year-old Baba Tambaya, at the Rikkos Juma'at mosque.
Two other corpses were found minutes after the prayers, while the body of a woman was found dead hanging by a banana tree with her baby strapped to her back.
Rikkos suffered the highest number of casualties, and reports said no loss of lives was recorded at Anguwan Rogo.
Secretary of the Nigeria Red Cross in the state, Mr Manaseh Pampey, who visited the affected communities, said the number of "people that lost their lives as a result of the flood in Jos are 35."
Malam Abubakar Mahmud, the community leader of Tudun Osi, said over 50 people from the area were still missing.
"This is a trying moment for us," he told Daily Trust. "Our people are in need of urgent help because those that are alive have lost their homes. We know this disaster is from God, but I will also like to point out that it is due to human error, because people keep building houses around water ways."
'I woke up to see water everywhere'
Malam Abdulhameed, whose five children have been found dead while two were still missing, was traumatised and could not speak to Daily Trust.
But his wife Indo explained how the flood started.
"I was asleep when my husband woke me up and I saw water everywhere," she told Daily Trust.
"By the time I ran to the room where my boys were sleeping I couldn't find them because the wall had collapsed. My husband also tried to enter but he discovered the flood had gone with them."
Indo said six of the seven children where hers while the other was her nephew.
Another victim Malam Kabiru, popularly called Usama, said, "My wife and children are still missing; I don't know whether they are alive or dead and my house has been flushed away by the flood."
He said the disaster occurred around 10pm on Sunday night while he was away attending a Tafsir in a nearby mosque and by the time he got home, his house was no more.
Malam Yahaya Ibrahim, father of six, said he was able to rescue two of his children while four were washed away by the flood right before his eyes.
He said by a streak of luck, one room in his house was not submerged and it was there he and other family members took refuge till morning.
Ado Banchi said he saw a lot of people screaming as the flood took them away but he could not save them.
"I was able to move my family to the upstairs house on the hill and I could see people screaming for their lives. I wanted to go down and help them but my family wouldn't let me. The water was very powerful and moving very fast, if I had gone, I probably may not have survived it," he said.
Ibrahim Saleh, whose house was submerged, said his family had took refuge on top of the roof of his house.
Also at the sites of the incident were members of the aid group of Jama'atul Nasril Islam (JNI), led by the state director Danjuma Khalid, rendering first aid services to some of the survivors.
Survivors get aid from state, NEMA
Spokesman NEMA headquarters in Abuja, Yusha'u Shuaib, said 21 people were confirmed dead with 35 others still missing. He said search and rescue were still going on at Gangare and Rikkos yesterday.
For his part, Director, Relief and Rehabilitation, of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Edward Maigida expressed shock at the level of damage in the areas. He said his team was there to assess the damage so as to provide relief materials.
Later yesterday, NEMA officials transported relief materials to the camps where hundreds of the victims took refuge.
"We have food items such as rice, millet, maize, we also have blankets, mats and buckets for the people seeking refuge in the camps," spokesman for NEMA in the state Yohana Audu said.
Also, the Plateau State Government directed the State Relief Committee to provide relief materials for the survivors.
A statement by Information commissioner Abraham Yiljab said the government was saddened by the unexpected natural phenomenon which has brought grief to the people of the state.
"Governor Jonah Jang has directed the State Relief Committee to step in with immediate effect and provide relief for the surviving victims," he said.
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