Jul 24, 2012 at 11:35am

At least 35 people have been killed in flooding in central Nigeria's Plateau state after heavy rainfall caused a dam to overflow near the city of Jos.

A Red Cross spokesman said that about 200 homes, many of them made from mud, had been submerged or destroyed.

Officials say that at least 25 people are missing and that the number of dead is expected to rise.

One resident said heavy rain began to fall on Sunday evening and that many of his livestock had been washed away.

The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in Jos say many people are mourning the loss of loved ones.

Our reporter says he came across a woman who lost six of her eight children in the floods.

The head of the Red Cross in Plateau state, Manasie Phampe, said rescue efforts were continuing.

"Rainwater and water from the Lamingo dam which overflowed swept across several neighbourhoods in the city," he said.

"We are still searching for more bodies as many people have been declared missing."

Nigeria's National Emergency Agency has launched a relief operation.

Our correspondent says the floods have left hundreds of people homeless and they are taking shelter in government buildings in the city.


Source: BBC