FLOOD: PREGNANT WOMAN, 4 CHILDREN KILLED IN CALABAR

A pregnant woman and three children were among the seven persons killed yesterday at a heavily populated ravine in Edim Otop area of Calabar.

The incident occurred at about 5pm yesterday after a four hour torrential rain fall which uprooted palm and other economic trees.
It was gathered that the flood uprooted trees which fell on the poorly built bungalow housing the pregnant woman whose name was given as Mrs Ekaete Amos Akainyene, her two children and some relatives.
The owner of the house, Mr Amos Akaninyene, husband to late Ekaete, who according to neighbours hail from Ata Obio Ediene village in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, narrowly escaped.
According to sources, his mother-in-law and two other female relatives at the house were not so lucky.
The flood also killed two other children on the nearby Spring Street. Witnesses and neighbours whose homes were gravely affected too by the flood could not hold back their tears as they wept uncontrollably.
Our correspondent reports that neighbours, men from the Cross River State Fire Service and policemen helped to recover the corpses of victims. 

An official of the state Ministry of Environment, who pleaded anonymity said, “You can see the situation by yourself. At least you can see that we are bringing out some of the bodies and a vehicle from the Federal Road Safety Corp has helped to move the bodies. The fact that soldiers, policemen, FRSC operatives are here shows government’s concern for the people”.