Nigeria faces world’s highest heat death toll as El Nino bears down on Sahel

A boy carries drinking water for sale at a street market in Abuja, Nigeria. Scientists estimate Nigeria could face the world's highest heat-related death toll from the current El Nino. AP - Ben Curtis

Extreme heat generated by this year's El Nino is projected to cause up to 67,000 additional deaths across the Sahel over the next six months, with Nigeria facing the highest death toll of any country in the world.

The Climate Impact Lab, a research group based at the University of Chicago, predicts there will be 66,800 extra deaths across the Sahel, the dry belt along the southern edge of the Sahara, between September and February compared with a normal year.