"We have 500 families that have been displaced by the flood camped in the primary school in Song," Willie Zalwalie, spokesman for the Adamawa State government, told AFP by telephone from the state capital Yola.

Heavy rains overnight on Tuesday triggered a flash flood which devastated the farming village of Loko, in the Song local government area 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Yola, he said.

"We have not been able to confirm the number of houses which have been submerged. The fact that the flood happened at night contributed to the loss of life," he added.

"Of course, the area is prone to floods -- a similar one was reported in 1989 -- but this is the worst one in the history of the area," he said.

Heavy rains sweep Nigeria between June and August, often triggering dangerous floods. A weekend downpour in the southern state of Delta destroyed 3,000 homes and left 15,000 people homeless.

TERRA.WIRE