Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
Tragedy struck, at the weekend, in Ilorin, Kwara State, as a family of five was swept off the road and pushed under a collapsed bridge along Oko Erin Area of the metropolis.
Three members of the family were rescued dead, while two others were still missing as at the press time, on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred in the early hours of during a heavy rain which lasted for more than four hours.
The bridge which had been in existence for over two decades suddenly collapsed during the rain forcing their car to plunge into the wild flowing river under the bridge.
The car was still trapped in the river at the time of filling this report.
Speaking at the scene of the incident, State Director of Fire Services, Mr. Abdulwaheed lyanda, confirmed that three persons of the same family lost their lives.
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He disclosed that the state Fire Service was able to recover only one dead body and yet to recover the bodies of others.
His words, “We are still searching for the remaining two bodies because of the river torrent. We are, however, making efforts to secure the other two dead bodies,”
The state’s Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. Rotimi Iliasu, while speaking after he visited the collapsed bridge described the incident as unfortunate and commiserated with the family of the dead.
Iliasu attributed the bridge collapsed to constant dumping of refuse under the bridge which he said impeded free flow of water.
He called on residents of the state to desist from dumping refuse under bridges and water ways to avert disasters.
The commissioner, who emphasised the importance of the road, said the Ministry had already begun repair works on the bridge.
“Consequently, the Oko Erin road has been blocked while some personnel from the state Traffic Management Authority are at the scene of the collapsed bridge to monitor diversion of traffic,” he said.
