Man dies protecting son from collapsed building in Akure

Tragedy struck in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, following the over 24 hours rainfall which led to part of a building collapsing and causing the death of a man, Titus Adega.

Eyewitnesses, on Wednesday, disclosed that the incident occurred at about 3 p.m. at Itedo Eledumare Street, Oba-Ile in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

A tenant in the collapsed bungalow, Elizabeth Columbus, said a section of the building wall collapsed on Adega and his five-year-old son, Kizito, causing the death of the former.

The wife of the deceased, Margaret Adega, said the wall of the back section of the building suddenly fell on her husband and son, who were outside during the rainfall.

She said: “I heard the loud cry of my son from deep in my sleep and I rushed outside to discover him under the rubble of the collapsed wall of the building.

“I tried to extricate him and discovered the unconscious body of my husband on top of him. I believe my husband used his body to protect our son when the wall fell.

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“I called out to neighbours who assisted me to extricate them from the rubbles and rushed both of them to the maternity centre in the neighbourhood.

“We were asked to take them to the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital but when we got there he was confirmed dead on arrival.”

The widow said the corpse had been deposited at the mortuary while their son, who had a fracture on the leg and slight bruises on the face, was receiving treatment.

Margaret said her son was immediately discharged from hospital, while her husband’s corpse would be taken to Benue State for burial.

It was further gathered that the rainfall wreaked havoc in other parts of Oba-Ile and on the Airport road, causing floods that submerged some buildings and destroyed personal properties and fences.

The Star