At least 37 people have been killed and around 400,000 others displaced following massive flooding in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, an official said Thursday.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, said at a national emergency coordination meeting in the capital Abuja that a search and rescue team recovered 37 bodies following heavy floods on Tuesday.

The floods hit Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, with schools, hospitals, government offices, a zoo, worship centers, banks, markets and commercial areas submerged.

Authorities described the flooding as the worst incident in recent decades.

Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), told Anadolu that search and rescue operations are continuing.