Travel News

• Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced
• The floods destroyed a prison's walls, leading to over 300 escaping 
• So far 30 people have died due to the floods 

Hundreds of thousands in Nigeria have fled their homes to avoid the sweeping floods that have devastated the country and allowed nearly 300 prisoners to escape a single jail. 

Maiduguri, the capital of the northern Borno state, suffered its worst floods in decades this week, which decimated a dam that was holding back the water. 

The flood has killed at least 30 people according to the country's emergency agency and affected a million others, with hundreds of thousands of people forced into camps for displaced people. Since the beginning of the rainy season, nearly 260 people have been killed. 

In Maiduguri, the floods 'brought down the walls of the correctional facilities including the Medium Security Custodial Centre, as well as the staff quarters in the city,' officials said, adding that so far just seven have been recaptured. 

Meanwhile, regular citizens haven't been quite as lucky. 

She screamed and people helped her escape with her six children.

Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, in one of the worst ever floods in Africa's most populous country.

Thousands of homes were engulfed by rapidly rising waters after a dam burst following a weekend of torrential rain in northeastern Nigeria.

'I shouted for help in terror and some men outside heard my scream and came into the house which was already flooded and rescued us,' said Yakubu, 26, describing her survival as a 'miracle'.

She and her children took shelter in one of the eight camps set up by authorities.

Flood waters have displaced more than one million people in and around Maiduguri, the capital of Brno State