Tragedy: Flood Sweeps To Death Mother And Her Five Children

By Ayodele Oni

Flood is taking its tragic toll in States as the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, (NiMet) continues to alert people resident in flood-prone areas to relocate.

In Ondo State, two teenagers drowned in a popular River located in the Omileye area of Ore town, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government area..

Reports from Katsina State stated that a

devastating tragedy unfolded in Dankama Local Government Area  when a mother and her five children lost their lives after their home collapsed during a torrential overnight rainfall.

The cause of the Ondo tragic incident still remains a mystery.

However,  a source close to the police revealed that the tragedy occurred shortly after a heavy downpour in the area.

The victims, who were siblings, were reportedly returning home late at night from their father’s shop, a motorcycle mechanic in the town when tragedy struck.

The children, said to be pupils of a private nursery and primary school in the area, had visited their father at his shop before the rain started.

The  source said  they were attempting to cross the river when they were swept away by the strong current.

Their failure to return home after several hours prompted their father to raise an alarm, leading to a search party organised by concerned residents. Many feared that the boys had been carried away by the river.

The development threw the family and other residents into panic. A report was subsequently lodged at the Divisional Police Station in the town.

The Katsina incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, around 2.00a.m., while the family was reportedly asleep.

Eyewitness accounts indicate that the intense downpour caused a structural failure of the building, which led to the fatalities.

The grieving father, Muhammad Sani, who was away at the time of the incident, confirmed the heartbreaking event during a conversation with journalists.

He revealed that ten family members were inside the building when it collapsed, but only four survived. Three of them are currently receiving medical treatment at a local hospital.

The deceased have been identified as 45-year-old Mariya Sani and her children: Mujahid (20), Zahariya (18), Hauwa (15), Amira, and five-year-old Nura Sani.