Flood sweeps away two children, displaces families in Lagos

Residents of Alapere area of Lagos on Saturday recorded another tragedy as two yet-to-be-identified children were swept away as people battled flood after a downpour that lasted for hours and submerged many parts of the area.

The incident occurred about 8:00pm at Oyebanjo Street, Ketu.

While the rain forced some residents to stay indoors, a few others suffered personal tragedies as the downpour and flooding led to destruction of property.

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The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency in a situation report (sitrep) on Sunday said a search operation was ongoing to find the missing children.

LASEMA’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, noted that it was discovered that the children were missing around 8:00pm on Saturday.

He said, “The agency received distress calls concerning the above. On arrival at the scene of the incident it was discovered that, around 8:00pm, two children had been caught up by floodwater.

“A joint team of responders comprising agency responders, LASG Fire Service and LASAMBUS was at the scene.

“The agency’s tiger team commenced a search and rescue operation along the path of the floodwater.

“Initial observations revealed a sloping topography with a direct channel of drain water into the canal. This has proven to be rather challenging to navigate. Rescue operation remains ongoing.”