At least three people were killed and cars washed away while many buildings collapsed in Zuba settlement of Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a result of the heavy downpour.
The heavy rain which started at about 3 am on Saturday killed three children whose houses were submerged and their parents tried their best to rescue them but could not.
Also, the heavy downpour washed away cars, pulled down buildings, destroyed several soakaways, and cut the bridge leading to Ikwa, Yimi, and other villages in Zuba, forcing motorists to take alternative routes to their destinations.
BusinessDay learnt that over 100 houses along the waterways were badly affected while all houses about 10 to 20 metres from the river bank were completely submerged.
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Eyewitnesses said a man whose house was submerged made frantic efforts to save his children with the help of sympathetic neighbours as he lifted up one of the children to his neighbours who helped him to carry the child out.
However, the attempt to ferry the second child to safety turned tragic as the child mistakenly fell into the water and was washed away.
Confirming the incident, the director-general, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Idriss Abbas, said there was a building collapse in Dawaki as a result of the flood.
He said: “A family of five was washed away at Giri. We got one body and still searching for four. We rescued six people and are in the hospital. The flood has damaged a lot of houses and property, especially at Gwagwalada. The residents are still saying some are missing but they cannot give us the identities of such persons who they claim to be missing.
Abbas advised people to be careful when it is raining.
“They should not drive on water. They should not build on the flood plain. They must respect the master plan of FCT and ensure that all drainages are clean. What happened in Giri-Gota was because people built on a flood plain,” he said.
