Switzerland donates CHF1.5m for African flood relief

Switzerland has provided CHF1.5 million ($1.48 million) in emergency aid to flood-stricken Nigeria and Chad.

The two African countries have experienced devastating floods since the summer that have killed hundreds of people and left thousands displaced or without access to secure water and food supplies.

Since June, Switzerland has responded to appeals from humanitarian agencies to help alleviate the serious situation.

This includes CHF750,000 dispatched to Nigeria, which has recorded 600 fatalities, 2,500 injured and 1.5 million displaced people.

Floodwaters have destroyed homes, infrastructure and farmlands and contaminated fresh water supplies, furthering the risk of disease.

On Friday, the Swiss government said it has provided an extra CHF300,000 for Chad through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to build emergency shelters.

This comes on top of an earlier donation to Chad of CHF500,000. More than 90,000 people in Chad have been forced out of their homes by flooding.