By Ado Oyeyemi
A university undergraduate was swept away by floodwater in Asaba, Delta State, after the car conveying her and her father was pushed into a drainage channel during a heavy downpour.
The incident occurred on Monday at Okotimi Layout, behind the Asaba Specialist Hospital, while the girl was reportedly being taken by her father to the location of her industrial training.
The duo were travelling in a Toyota Corolla when the rising floodwater overwhelmed the road and pushed the vehicle towards the drainage channel.
A source said the undergraduate, who was seated in the front of the car, raised her hand and called for help before the flood swept her away.
According to the source, her father was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical attention.
The Delta State Emergency Management Agency, under the Ministry of Bureau for Special Duties, later joined the search for the missing undergraduate.
The Commissioner for the Bureau of Special Duties, Ejiro Terry Etacherure, said divers were engaged in the search, which continued from Monday until Wednesday.
Etacherure said the breakthrough came when boat operators around the Otogwu River axis of Anwai Road alerted SEMA after discovering a floating body.
He said a family member was contacted to identify the remains, while an ambulance from the Asaba Specialist Hospital transported the body to the hospital morgue.
Residents, however, said the tragedy was not the first incident involving vehicles being swept into the drainage channel during heavy rainfall.
An eyewitness said a Mercedes-Benz GLK and a Lexus had previously fallen into the canal.
The eyewitness blamed the recurring incidents on inadequate drainage, saying the existing channel was too small to cope with the volume and force of floodwater during heavy rainfall.
The deceased’s uncle, Andy Emephia, who confirmed the family’s bereavement, urged the authorities to urgently address the drainage problem to prevent further deaths.
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Residents also called for immediate intervention to improve the drainage system around the area and avert further loss of lives and property during heavy rainfall.
