National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that the flooding that occurred in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria last weekend claimed seven lives.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Zonal Coordinator, South West, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday.
Farinloye said, “The post-emergency phase assessment after the unprecedented rainfall of Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, 2022, has revealed that about seven people – three children of the same parent and four adults – died.
“About eight lives were also saved during the period, as a result of the flooding that was witnessed during the two-day continuous rainfall.”
He added that the three siblings who lost their lives were residing at a church building belonging to Mercy of Christ Apostolic Church, situated in an uncompleted building.
According to him, the siblings – Michael, 18; Elizabeth, 17 and Timi, 14, were swept away while trying to relocate from their room to the main church structure.
Farinloye stated that the youngest child, Timi, who was said to be asthmatic, while trying to climb the plank linking their room to the church building, slipped and was overpowered by the flood.
According to him, the remaining two while trying to rescue their sibling, were also swept away by the flood.
The coordinator stated that the NEMA team, while on a condolence visit to the families, met with representatives of Progressive Community Development Area, who conducted the agency around the affected communities.
Farinloye said, “The bereaved parents were said to be somewhere, but the NEMA team had a brief meeting with the community leaders on the way forward.
“An appeal was made to them that for the rest of the year, the community must embark on awareness and sensitisation on safe actions, to avoid the situation that they experienced during the period.
“The community leaders also informed NEMA that in the same community, four siblings were also swept away on the same day, but that the community members rallied round and rescued all of them.”
According to the NEMA boss, the affected communities were Oke Isagun, Agbado Oke Odo LCDA, all in Alimosho LGA.
He stated that the agency was briefed that rainwater from Meiran, Abbatoir, Alagbado, Agege, and Tollgate converged in the communities.
As regards the flood at Oyatoki in Orile Agege, Farinloye explained that two people died, while four were rescued.
