More than 700 people are believed to have died following devastating floods that struck the Nigerian town of Mokwa in central Niger State, local officials said.

More than 1,000 people have lost their lives, and at least 740,000 have been displaced as devastating floods continue to impact West and Central Africa, according to the UN.

Nigerian authorities reported that 281 inmates escaped when devastating floods caused a prison's walls to collapse in the country's northeast, News.Az reports citing ABC News .

At least 49 people have been killed and thousands displaced in Nigeria after heavy rains caused flooding in the northeast of the country, News.az reports citing the National Emergency Management Agency.