…As Sunday night downpour wrecks Russia’s World Cup stadium***
A Sunday night torrential downpour resulting in serious flood in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State may have led to the death of over 40 persons, over the weekend.
The rainstorm also blew away over 500 rooftops away, rendering thousands homeless.
The Katsina State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) which confirmed this on Monday saying not fewer than 38 persons lost their lives, following a rainstorm
The SEMA Executive Secretary, Dr Aminu Waziri told newsmen on Monday in Jibia that the disaster was caused by the downpour which, lasted for several hours.
Waziri said areas affected by the disaster include Tundun Takari, Dan Tudu, Unguwar Kwakwa and Unguwar Mai Kwari areas located around river axis.
He said a rescue team was still in Jibia giving assistance to the people.
According to him, Gov. Aminu Masari has visited the area to assess the damage done to property.
“What we are doing presently is to find temporary accommodation for people whose houses have been washed away or damaged.
“As I speak with you now, no fewer than 38 people have lost their lives.
“Sympathisers from our neighbouring country, Niger Republic, helped us to remove two bodies from a river.
“We have already buried 21 bodies, while arrangements are being made to bury the remaining 17 dead bodies.
“Over 200 houses were either washed away or damaged by the rainstorm,” he said.
Meanwhile, heavy rain has damaged Russia’s newly-built World Cup Stadium at the Southern city of Volgograd on Sunday.
Footage of the incident showed a fresh landslide on an embankment, which made a several-metre-deep hole near the stadium and covered a sidewalk with mud.
A spokesman for the Sport In company, overseeing the construction, said there were also leaks inside the stadium which could take up to a week to repair.
“I’m sorry for the city. They invested so much money and it was washed away by one rain,” 19-year-old Vitaly Ovchinnikov, a local resident, told Reuters TV.
Volgograd Arena, a stadium that can accommodate up to 45,000 spectators, was built for the World Cup at a cost over 16 billion roubles (194.20 million pounds).
“It’s not normal. It was built with federal money, with taxes we pay them,” another local resident, Mikhail Nesterenko, 64, said.
Eight teams played World Cup group matches in Volgograd, including England and Japan, which made it to the knockout stages.
Spokesmen for the Volgograd government and Sport In said the rain was extraordinary and was dealt with as an emergency.
“This happens once in 100 years,” a Sport In spokesman said.
The Stroytransgaz company, which built the stadium, had yet to issue a statement on the incident.