by crossriverwatch admin
The torrential down pour in Calabar the Cross River State capital on Wednesday which lasted several hours caused severe flooding that uprooted trees, submerged buildings and swept away cars in some parts of the city.
The most devastating havoc by the down pour occurred at Abedem, Edim Otop, in Calabar Municipality where the rampaging flood water uprooted a Malina and a Palm tree on top of a hill and sent both crashing on a house located at the valley nearby and effectively burying six family members alive in the rubble of the building which collapsed from the impact of the crash.
Mr. Amos Akaniyene, the owner of the house who was standing outside narrowly escaped being crushed but his pregnant wife, Ekaete Amos 30, his two children, David and Deborah, mother-in-law, Iquo Effiong and two other relatives, Samuel and Anthony were crushed by the rubble of the collapsed building.
Akpan Ubong, a neighbor whose house is adjacent to that of the Amos said flood water descending from the hill at high speed towards the ravine where their houses are located uprooted trees and palm trees on its path sending them crashing down and the house of Amos which is directly on the path of the rampaging flood water and the uprooted trees was crushed with the occupants inside.
It was an emotional scene as large crowds descended to the valley to behold the sight of the collapsed building and as mangled lifeless bodies were removed from the rubble some wailed uncontrollably while others wept under their breadth with tears rushing down their cheeks.
Men of the Cross River State Fire Service who rushed to the scene to help rescue the victims were able to extricate three lifeless bodies from underneath the rubble as at 8 p.m when CrossRiverWatch was there.
Close to the scene of the collapsed building, a girl aged about five was swept away by flood water along the Atimbo -Akpabuyo raod into a ravine and was subsequently buried underneath concrete slaps which soon fell from a devastated culvert into the gully.
Efforts to contact Mr. David Akate, the Information Officer of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, were unsuccessful as his phone number was switched off but another source said the six bodies were removed from the rubble of the collapsed building and deposited at the mortuary of the General Hospital Calabar. “We took the last two bodies there at about 12 midnight; we got back home very late” the source said.
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