One of the poorest and most arid states in the world, the landlocked nation of Chad has been hit by exceptional floods that have affected hundreds of thousands of lives.

In the beleaguered capital of N’Djamena, a field of tents has sprung up to provide emergency shelter and victims are striving to salvage what they can from the ruins of their homes.

In Walia, a poor neighbourhood to the south of the city, dozens of homes were ravaged last week after the Chari River burst its banks following torrential rains, an AFP journalist saw.

Water levels rose by up to five metres (16.4 feet), which local officials said was unprecedented, and swept aside makeshift defences erected by desperate inhabitants.

“The flood defences gave way on Thursday at 8 am and my house was completely engulfed,” said Antoinette Nermercie, a woman in her 30s standing up to her ankles in water.

She scrabbled around to pick up pieces of corrugated sheeting, tied them together and placed them in a canoe, which would take her family and their belongings to a safer place.

Culled from France 24