Tragedy struck on Tuesday in Akure following over 24 hours of rainfall, which led to part of a building collapsing and causing the death of a man.
Witnesses told reporters on Wednesday that the incident occurred at 3:00 p.m. on Itedo Eledumare Street, Obale, in Akure North Local Government Area.
Elizabeth Columbus, a tenant in the collapsed bungalow, said a section of the building wall collapsed on Titus Adega and his five-year-old son, Kizito Adega, causing the death of the former.
The widow 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.
“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,” Mrs Adega said.
She said the neighbour assisted her to extricate them from the rubbles and rushed them to a nearby maternity centre.
“There, 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,” she added.
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.
Mrs Adega said that her husband’s corpse would be taken to Benue for burial immediately after her son was discharged from the hospital.
Gabriel Folahan, the head of the Children’s Emergency Room, said young Adega was brought in at 4:52 p.m. with bruises on the face and a leg fracture.
Mr Folahan said the child would be referred to the orthopaedic ward for traction on Thursday.
The rainfall wreaked havoc in other parts of Oba-Ile and the Airport road; streams overflowed their banks, causing floods that submerged some buildings and destroyed personal properties and fences.
