A heavy downpour in Minna, Niger State, has led to a tragic incident in the Tunga area, where two children lost their lives after being swept away by floodwaters.
The victims, a 7-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother, were caught in the strong currents during the flooding, which occurred between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
According to reports, the siblings had been sent on an errand by their mother to visit their aunt. While attempting to cross the Julius Berger drainage using a wooden plank, the younger girl, the only daughter among three children in the family, slipped and was carried away by the flood.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the boy immediately raised an alarm after his sister was swept away, drawing the attention of nearby residents.
The sources said a search team comprising local residents sprang into action to locate the girl, who had already been carried away by the floodwaters.
The body of the girl, alongside the 11-year-old boy, was discovered later by the search team at the back of T Mama in the Sauka Kahuta area of
Residents of the community had thought that the flood carried away only the girl, whose parents hail from Edo and Delta States, but were shocked to discover two bodies.
According to Mallam Musa, “We could not get hold of her due to the force of the large volume of the water. However, the local search team continued the search and later recovered her body at 6:30 p.m. around Mama T area of Sauka Kahuta, Minna. We were surprised to also discover the body of an 11-year-old boy washed away by the strong force of the water.”
“The father of the girl was then contacted to come and identify his daughter.”
Also, during the rain, all the drainages and roads in the Tunga area were flooded, thereby forcing motorists to park and wait for the rains to subside and the floods to recede.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Hussaine Ibrahim, when contacted, expressed shock over the tragic incident, assuring that the agency would visit the family of the deceased for more details.