20120827 AFP The first foreign aid plane, bringing tents, mosquito nets and other relief items to victims of Niger's deadly floods, arrived Sunday in Niamey.
The plane chartered by Ireland was carrying more than 35 tonnes of aid supplies, said Niger's Interior Minister Abdou Labo, who thanked Dublin for its generosity.
"It is the first humanitarian aid plane. Others are due to follow," said the World Food Programme's representative in Niger, Denise Brown.
The items are due to be distributed to southern Niger's Dosso region, which has been hardest hit by the floods, the UN food agency said.
The UN estimated that the flooding has claimed at least 44 lives but a Niger official told AFP that the toll may have risen since.
"It appears that the toll has increased, we should be at 56 to 58 deaths. But that remains to be confirmed," he said.
Niger this week issued an appeal for international aid.
The government also organised a television aid appeal on Saturday evening, although the sum raised has yet to be disclosed.
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