By Kelvin Ololo
The cries of a grieving mother echoed across Ikot Awatim Community in Ikot Ansa, Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State, on Saturday after a devastating landslide triggered by torrential rainfall buried five people alive, including four siblings from the same family.
Residents were left in shock and mourning as community youths mounted frantic rescue efforts through the night, only to recover the lifeless bodies of the victims from the rubble.
The victims were identified as four children of Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley Etim Edu and a man identified simply as Mr. Udo, believed to be a tanker driver attached to a fuel depot.
The deceased siblings were Bright Kingsley Edu (18), Godswill Kingsley Edu (12), Daniel Kingsley Edu (11), and Richard Kingsley Edu (10).
The tragedy occurred on Friday night, 10 July 2026, after hours of heavy rainfall that has continued to batter Calabar, causing widespread flooding and destruction of property in several parts of the city.
According to residents, the children’s mother was attending a church service when the rain began.
Concerned about the weather, the children reportedly left the church ahead of her to return home. Their father, a Homeland Security personnel, was away on duty.
Speaking to CrossRiverWatch at the scene on Saturday, July 11, the devastated mother, Mrs. Mercy Kingsley Edu, popularly known as Mama Uwana, struggled to come to terms with the unimaginable loss staring at her.
A waterleaf farmer, she recounted that the rain intensified while they were in church. Her children decided to rush home before the downpour worsened.
According to her, the children arrived home, changed into dry clothes and lay down to rest on their bed, unaware that disaster was moments away.
She said the collapsing earth buried the house, trapping the children beneath the debris.
In tears, she told CrossRiverWatch that everything the family owned was swallowed by the landslide.
“Everything was buried in the landslide, taking my children and leaving us hopeless and homeless,” she cried.
Overwhelmed with grief, she repeatedly questioned why tragedy had struck her family.
“Why me? Why me? Four out of seven gone in one day. At least it should have been an accident that claimed their legs, not four children buried in one day. Where will I start? My husband never buys anything for himself because he wants his children to go to school. Three boys and a girl… all gone.”
Her husband, Mr. Kingsley Edu, who serves as a Homeland Security personnel, was too devastated to speak with CrossRiverWatch as sympathizers gathered around the family.
The bodies of the four deceased were buried shortly after they were recovered, while the remains of Mr. Udo were deposited in a mortuary.
The tragedy has thrown Ikot Awatim Community into mourning, with residents and sympathizers trooping to the scene to console the bereaved family and witness the scale of the devastation.
Community members have appealed to the Cross River State Government, led by Governor Bassey Edet Otu, as well as well-meaning Cross Riverians, to come to the aid of the bereaved family, who have not only lost four children but have also been left without shelter after their home was destroyed by the landslide.
The incident is the latest in a series of weather-related disasters linked to the persistent rainfall across Calabar, which has resulted in flooding, erosion and extensive destruction of homes and properties worth millions of Naira.
As residents continue to count their losses, many are calling for urgent government intervention to address the growing threat posed by flooding and landslides in vulnerable communities across the state.
This is coming three day after flood killed a one-year-old baby and property worth millions of Naira destroyed along Mayne Avenue by Atu Street, Calabar South Local Government Area of the state.
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