UP to 40 people were reported missing or dead on Wednesday after a river in northern Nigeria burst its banks, flooding dozens of villages. Manir Babba Dangundi, the council chairman of the affected Kumbotso area of Kano State, said 40 people were missing or dead. State government officials were unable to confirm any deaths but acknowledged the flooding was severe. Villages in the local government areas of Dawakin-Kudu, Kumbotso, Kunchi, Warawa and Wudil, southwest of the northern city of Kano, were hit by flood waters Tuesday after the Wudil river burst its banks. Water released from the Tiga and Shallawa dams following heavy rains at the weekend surged down the Wudil, state officials said. Danagundi, the chairman of Kumbotso local council, said more than 1 000 people had taken refuge in a primary school. – AFP