Two Confirmed Dead As Bridge Collapse After Heavy Downpour

No fewer than four people were confirmed dead in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, early Sunday morning, as a result of bridge collapse during heavy downpour of rain.

The unfortunate incident happened along Oko-Erin road due to heavy downpour which caused a Toyota Highlander jeep to plunge into a canal of the collapsed bridge.

The Toyota Jeep Motor was reportedly carrying 6 members from same family inside, in which two of them were rescued and four others were taken by the flood.

Those who lost their life to the unfortunate incident were father, mother and two children.

On arriving at the tip of the bridge, one of the passengers reportedly alighted from the vehicle to check if the car could drive through but was suddenly submerged by the bridge which collapsed as a result of the force of the downpour.

According to reports gathered by newsmen, two other passengers from the vehicle, curious that one of them who went to check the bridge did not return, also alighted from the vehicle to cross-check at the bridge, and were also sunk by the submerged bridge.

The Toyota car conveying the passengers was also ultimately submerged by the raging flood as it caved into the collapsed bridge. Meanwhile, the remains of one of the submerged passengers of the car was later found in a stream on Sunday morning at the Coca-cola area of Ilorin.

Reports had it that since the collapse of the bridge at about 11pm on Saturday, the rescue and search unit of the Kwara state command of fire brigade has been working round the clock to recover the remaining missing bodies.

Residents of the area also applauded the timely response from the fire service personnel.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Ilorin, on Sunday, the Comptroller, Kwara state Fire Service, Abdul Waheed Iyanda Yakubu, confirmed that two of the passengers in the submerged vehicle survived but three others including the driver were still missing.

However, one dead body identified as Okechukwu Orwabo, was found at Coca-Cola road on Sunday morning, said the head of media and publicity, fire service brigade, Hassan Hakeem, in a statement in Ilorin.

It said two others identified as Chuben Orwabo and Chibike Orwabo were still missing, not confirmed dead yet, just as it warned members of the public to be extra careful while driving during rainfalls, pointing out its a death trap.

Another location in upper Taiwo area of Ilorin where the downpour was heavy, two of the residents in the area who went out before the downpour have not been seen as at the time of filing this report on Sunday.

The GSM numbers of the two friends who reportedly went out on a motorcycle were switched off when relations and friends repeatedly called their telephone lines. The state Commissioner for Works also paid a visit to the disaster area for on the spot assessment of the incident.