Two commercial motorcyclists have been reportedly swept away by flood from a torrential downpour which occurred in the ancient city of Ondo in the Ondo West Local Government area of Ondo State.
One other person was however rescued from being swept away by the flood.
The rain was said to have started around 5:30pm till 8pm.
Reports had it that the lifeless bodies of the deceased were found in Oka area of the town by a collapsed bridge on Tuesday.
Also, property worth millions of naira were destroyed as a result of the flood.
Angered by the incident, residents of the community trooped out to protest and blocked the road over the incident.
The angry residents who staged the protest near the collapsed bridge, the scene of the incident (Okeodunwo Bridge), expressed their displeasure over the repeated flooding of the area whenever it rains.
One of the protesters, who spoke with our correspondent under the condition of anonymity, said that one of the victims identified as Aderemi, was the chairman of ACOMORAN in Ayeyemi area, Ondo and another victim yet-to-be-identified were swept away by the flood which also wrecked havoc in the area on Monday night.
He said residents of the town have been thrown into mourning following the death of the two bike men and the havoc caused by the flood.
The man who escaped from being swept away by the flood is said to be receiving treatment at a private hospital in the city, while the corpse of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue.
A source told The Hope that the deceased persons, while riding through the bad portion of the bridge covered by the flood fell into it and were drowned.
However, another source claimed that one of the deceased persons was swept from a different location, adding that the corpse was only discovered beside the collapsed bridge.
An eyewitness, Mr Jacob Lorim, who spoke with our correspondent said the bridge was filled to the brim and that the bad portion of the bridge could not be noticed by the bike men when they fell into it.
He said: “As they were passing, they mistakenly passed through the bad side and fell into the river.
“A search party was organicsed, only to discover that the two bike men had died in the water. But one person who was rescued has been taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to a resident of the area who proffered anonymity said the two victims were between the ages of 32 and 45.
Another eyewitness, Mr Deji Ayodele who also confirmed the incident described it as unfortunate. He lamented that the bridge had claimed many lives while he called on the government to come to their aid and save the community from a recurrence.
Reacting, the Chairman Ondo West Local Government, Mr Ebenezer Akinsulire who expressed sadness over the incident said the local council had written letters to the appropriate authority concerning the bridge and on the community’s bad road in order to put them in good shape.
He was optimistic that the road would be put in good shape as soon as the rainy season is over.
The Hope
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