A two-day continuous rainfall in Lagos State has killed three siblings and four adults.
Ibrahim Farinloye, the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) Zonal Coordinator for the South West, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
Farinloye stated that eight lives were saved during the post-emergency phase following the unprecedented rainfall on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9.
“Saturday, 9th July 2022 have revealed that about that seven people – three children of the same parent and four adults – died as a result of the flooding that was witnessed during the two days continuous rainfall,” he said.
“About eight lives were also saved during the period, as a result of the flooding that was witnessed during the two-day continuous rainfall.”
According to him, 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.
The victims – Michael, 18; Elizabeth, 17 and Timi, 14 – were swept away while trying to relocate from their room to the main church structure.
It was gathered 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.
The NEMA official explained that while the remaining two trying tried rescuing their sibling, they were also swept away by the flood.
Farinloye said 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.
He added, “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.”
He listed the flooded communities as Oke Isagun, Agbado Oke, Oko LCDA, all in Alimosho LGA.