Tragedy as mighty flood sweeps away business transport driver in Lagos

 

Misfortune struck on Friday at Yaya Hassan Street, Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area, LCDA, when a business driver, essentially distinguished as Ugo, 48, Alias, "Gunners" was swept away to his demise by heavy flood during the relentless precipitation in Lagos.

As indicated by observers, the unfortunate episode happened at around 4pm, during the weighty storm.

The episode tossed the whole community  into alarm as occupants and drivers howled openly, running helter skelterl in unproductive effort to recuperate the person in question.

As of press time, 7.30 pm, relatives of the person in question, who hails from Abakaliki, were seen in unhinged exertion looking for their adored one with the expectation of finding him alive.

It was gathered that the victim, a commercial bus driver with registration number, MUS 760 XS, popularly called “Danfo” was looking for a big stone around to use as a wedge on the tyre of his bus which broke down in the heavy rainfall when in the process of fetching one, he mistakenly fell into the wide drainage with high water current.

An observer, who just distinguished herself as Mama Iyabo, described how the episode occurred.

According to her, “I can’t still believe my eyes. It was just like a Nollywood movie. I was in my shop as a petty trader, I saw from afar a commercial bus driver while in the process of negotiating a bend into the street got stuck in a ditch but after much struggle, it got the bus out.

“However, the bus wouldn’t start again, apparently due to the impact of falling into the ditch, coupled with the heavy rainfall.

“In the process of fixing the bus, the driver went in search of something, which i later found out was stone inorder to hold the bus stationary.

“There is a stone there (pointing to the stone) he was actually trying to jump over the drainage to get the stone when he mistakenly lost his balance and fell instantly into the high moving current of the flood water in the drainage.

“All I could see next was the man’s head slightly above the flood water struggling, crying for help. There was a youngman who tried to no avail to get the drowning man out as he was being swept away.

“Immediately, all the passengers hurried out of the bus and dispersed into thin air while others watched as rescuers went in search of the victim.

“The last correction just spotted.. paragraph 15..

“Uptill now(6.30pm), the victim has not been found dead or alive.”

In any case, occupants who addressed our source faulted the state and local governments for not ryielding to the previous risk alarms sent to relevant authorities in leaving the wide seepage open without covering it to forestall individuals falling in.

“We are appealing for the umpteenth time to governments to come to our rescue now before our children, husbands and wives will end up falling into the drainage to death,” Mama Iyabo pleaded.