A grieving mother of seven, Mrs Mercy Edu, from Ikot Anwatim community in Calabar, Cross River State, recounted in an interview with The PUNCH the heartbreaking events that led to the loss of four of her children in a landslide triggered by hours of heavy rainfall.
Recounting the incident, she explained that she was not at home when the tragedy occurred because she had been at her foodstuff shop, where she worked to support her family’s livelihood. She said it was around 8:30 p.m. and that heavy rainfall had persisted for several days across Calabar before the disaster struck.
According to her, three of her children had already returned home because of the rain, while two others were with her at the shop. She said the two later decided to go home to change their clothes after getting soaked on their way back from school, adding that they arrived safely and joined their siblings at home before the landslide occurred.
Continuing her account, Edu said all five children were inside the house when they suddenly heard a loud noise. She explained that a house situated on top of a hill was swept away by the pressure of the heavy rainfall and crashed onto their own home. She said mud and floodwater quickly engulfed the building, killing four of her children instantly, while only one child survived after neighbours rescued the victim.
When she was asked if the rain was that heavy on the day the incident happened, she said, “It rained for days without stopping. That led to the death of my four children – one female and three males. It would have killed all five of them who were inside but neighbours rescued one. It is a very painful situation. You can imagine sleeping in your mother’s house to rest and relax, and then another house collapses and hits your building.”
She said she watched everything she loved, cherished and treasured disappear in the blink of an eye. According to her, the loss was deeply painful, adding that it was heartbreaking to think her children had simply gone home to rest, only for a building from the hill to collapse on them.