According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the flood that occurred in some parts of Lagos this weekend claimed the lives of seven persons, three of whom were identical triplets.

In a statement released in Lagos on Wednesday, NEMA’s Zonal Coordinator for the South West, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said that the three siblings who perished resided inside a church belonging to the Mercy of Christ Apostolic Church that was housed in an unfinished structure.

Michael, 18, Elizabeth, 17, and Timi, 14, he claimed, were washed away while attempting to move from their room to the main church building.

The youngest child, Timi, who was reportedly asthmatic, slid while attempting to ascend the plank connecting their chamber to the church building and was subsequently drowned by the flood, according to him.

The coordinator further stated that the other two perished in the flood while attempting to save their brother.

“The post-emergency phase examination following the unheard of rains of Friday, July 8th and Saturday, July 9th, 2022 has shown that about seven people – three children of the same parent and four adults – died.

“About eight lives were also saved during the period, as a result of the flooding that was witnessed during the two-day continuous rainfall,” he said.

Farinloye claimed that the NEMA delegation met with representatives of the Progressive Community Development Area while paying sympathy visits to the families and touring the affected towns.

“The bereaved parents were said to be somewhere, but the NEMA team had a brief meeting with the community leaders on the way forward.

“An appeal was made to them that for the rest of the year, the community must embark on awareness and sensitisation on safe actions, to avoid the situation that they experienced during the period.

“The community leaders also informed NEMA that in the same community, four siblings were also swept away on the same day, but that the community members rallied round and rescued all of them,” Farinloye said.

He named Oke Isagun, Agbado Oke, and Oko LCDA, all of which are in the Alimosho LGA, as the flooded communities. The Progressive CDA informed NEMA that rainfall from Meiran, Abbatoir, Alagbado, Agege, and Toll gate had converged in their community, according to the NEMA head.

In addition, Farinloye provided an update on the Oyatoki flood in Orile Agege, stating that two persons perished and four were saved.