A university undergraduate has died after floodwater swept her from a vehicle in Asaba, Delta State, with her body recovered two days after the incident.
The incident occurred on Monday at Okotimi Layout, behind the Asaba Specialist Hospital, following heavy rainfall.
The student was travelling with her father in a Toyota Corolla when floodwater reportedly pushed the vehicle into a drainage channel while the man was driving her to the location of her industrial training.
A source said the girl, who was seated in the front of the vehicle, called for help before the force of the water swept her away.
Her father was rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
The Delta State Emergency Management Agency confirmed the incident, saying it launched a search operation immediately after the girl was reported missing.
Commissioner for the Bureau of Special Duties, Ejiro Terry Etacherure, said SEMA engaged divers in the search, which continued until Wednesday.
According to him, boat operators around the Otogwu River axis of Anwai Road later alerted the agency after discovering a floating body.
“The State Emergency Management Agency intervened in the search for the girl. We looked for divers, and they had been searching for her since Monday until this morning when boat riders at Otogwu River in Anwai Road called SEMA,” Etacherure said.
He said a relative was contacted to identify the body, after which an ambulance from Asaba Specialist Hospital conveyed the remains to the hospital morgue.
The tragedy has renewed concerns among residents over the condition of the drainage channel, with locals saying vehicles had previously been swept into the same area during heavy rainfall.
An eyewitness, who declined to be named, said a Mercedes-Benz GLK and a Lexus had also fallen into the canal in previous incidents.
“The last one that fell inside is the Corolla, which involved the death of a young girl. This is not the first incident because vehicles usually fall into the canal back to back,” the eyewitness said.
He attributed the recurring accidents to inadequate drainage, arguing that the channel was incapable of handling the volume and force of floodwater during heavy downpours.
“It is the drainage because there is none good there. You cannot expect a small drainage for a flood. Things don’t work like that,” he said.
The deceased’s uncle, Andy Emephia, also urged authorities to address the drainage problem, describing it as the central issue behind the recurring incidents.
“We are bereaved now. My brother will be more scattered if he sees these questions. Why not draw your publication from the angle of the drainage that is not properly covered? That’s the main issue,” he said.
Residents have called for urgent intervention to improve the drainage infrastructure around the area and prevent further deaths and damage to vehicles during heavy rainfall.
The incident has also highlighted the dangers posed by poorly contained floodwater in parts of Asaba, particularly around drainage channels that residents say have become hazardous during downpours.
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