9-year-old girl among nearly 200 dead in Nigeria floods

Bernadette Uzo, 9, was swept away by flash floods that wreaked havoc this week in a remote village in the southeastern state of Anambra, according to local media reports.

Anambra is among the states hard hit by the disaster, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency said.

Residents in flooded areas have been asked to evacuate their homes to avoid being trapped as water levels continue to rise, the agency said.

Around 176,000 people have been displaced following weeks of heavy rainfall in several states in Nigeria, the agency said.

"In some communities, people are trapped and we are trying to make arrangements to evacuate them," said Brandon Walson, the agency's incident coordinator in Anambra and Delta states.

Nigeria declared a national disaster September 17 after 100 people were killed in central and southern states following severe flooding triggered by heavy rainfalls.

President Muhammadu Buhari approved $8.2 million "for the procurement of medical and relief materials" to help flooding victims, he said.

Five emergency operation centers have been created to coordinate search and rescue operations while also providing humanitarian support for those displaced by the floods.

Nigeria suffers from flooding almost annually during its rainy season, which lasts from July to September.

But this year's situation worsened after two major rivers burst their banks, sweeping away homes in the central part of the country.