Jalingo  – No fewer than five people were confirmed dead and more than 50 persons declared missing following torrential rains and flooding in Lau, Karim-Lamido and Gassol Local Government Areas of Taraba.

In separate interviews on Wednesday, the chairmen of these councils  also said that crops and livestock worth millions of naira had been washed away by the flood.

The three persons died in Lau and two in Karim-Lamido councils respectively.

Alhaji Tukura Bashir, Chairman of Gassol local government area, noted that such disaster had not been witnessed in the area in the past five decades.

Bashir said that villagers on the banks of the River Benue, the major cause of the devastation, had seen many copses floating on the river.

Meanwhile, the Chairmen of Lau, Mr Anthony Danburam and his Karim-Lamido counterpart, Mr Idi Mali, both confirmed that several people were also displaced.

In all the affected councils, thousands of people were displaced and farmlands submerged.

The development raised fears of food shortages due to the loss of crops such as rice, maize and beans, among others to floods across Taraba in the past one month.

All the council chairmen and farmers have called for urgent intervention by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the state government and well-meaning individuals to provide succour to the people.

They said the call for assistance had become necessary because the magnitude of the devastation was beyond the capacity of the councils. (NAN)