At least 11 persons have died following Sunday evening downpour in Onitsha, Anambra State. The victims included a yet-to-be-identified middle-aged man whose body was found at Modebe by Ozomagala Street Junction, near St Andrews Anglican Church and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Onitsha. Also, a 13-year-old girl, identified as Miss Ebele Okafor, lost her life during the rain at Omagba Phase 1 in Onitsha North Local Government Area.
Two others died at Obosi in Idemili Local Government Area while two were reported dead at Okpoko in Ogbarun Local Government Area. Also, a family of three and two other males who were in a private car, died when the vehicle fell into the big gutter near a commercial bank by Okpoko Junction on Onitsha–Asaba Expressway.
Their bodies were evacuated yesterday morning while reports from various parts of Onitsha say some other families are still searching for their loved ones yet to return home since Sunday night. Two bodies were also recovered from an erosion prone area near St. Jerome’s Catholic Outstation Church, Obosi.
One of the victims, identified as Ebuka, a commercial motorcyclist, was said to have visited a friend that evening but was swept away by the flood on his way home. However, a man who was carried by flood on Enugu-Onitsha Old Road narrowly escaped been drowned following the intervention of the people. But the man sustained injuries.
The rain, which started around 5pm, stopped in the early hours of yesterday. The rain started when most residents of the commercial city were still out attending various meetings and other engagements that usually associate with Sundays. Following this, many got trapped on the way because the flood covered major roads, making it difficult for people to differentiate between safe and unsafe spots.
About six vehicles also ran into the big gutter while descending the Upper Iweka on the Onitsha-Nkpor-Enugu Expressway. One of the vehicle owners, Emeka Ubah, who spoke while his car was being towed from the gutter, called on the government to compel the contractor handling the road to put demarcations along the median to forestall incessant accidents that happen there almost every night.
He also urged Governor Willie Obiano to extend the street light project to cover the entire area from Ogbunike Toll Gate to the Niger Bridge Head. The expressway from Army Barracks down to Upper Iweka has been a death trap as vehicles often miss their tracks in the night and end up in the ditch which has been fatal in most cases.
