File Photo: A general view shows ruins of houses destroyed by floods in Agadez, a market town northeast of Niger's capital Niamey, on September 3, 2009
© ReutersFile Photo: A general view shows ruins of houses destroyed by floods in Agadez, a market town northeast of Niger's capital Niamey, on September 3, 2009
At least 35 people were killed and 26,500 others were left homeless after heavy floods caused by torrential rains wreaked havoc in the Sahel country.

Heavy rains lashing arid Niger since June have killed 35 people and made more than 26,500 homeless, the civil protection agency said.

Twenty people died in house collapses, 15 drowned and 24 were injured, a statement said.

A total of 26,532 people had to leave their houses, it said.


The worst-hit regions were Maradi in the southeast with 10 deaths, Agadez in the north with 10 fatalities and the capital Niamey where eight people died.

Short but devastating rainy seasons

A total of 2,500 houses were destroyed and some 50 schools, mosques, shops and grain silos were damaged.

Over 700 cattle also perished.

The short rainy seasons wreaks havoc in the dry Sahel country every year.

Last year, floods claimed 73 lives and sparked a humanitarian crisis with 2.2 million people needing assistance, according to the United Nations.