OCEAN SURGE KILLS 1 PERSON, AND 15 OTHERS MISSING

An ocean surge that sacked communities around Kuramo Beach, Lagos, on Saturday [Aug 18] left one person dead and 15 others missing.

Confirming the incident, the General Manager of the State Emergency Management Agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the surge occurred around 2a.m. on Saturday, when residents were still asleep.

"We have recovered one body and we are searching for about 15 people that are still missing", he said. "The area has been cordoned off and we have already asked residents to vacate the place immediately”.

He also urged residents living or doing business in other coastal areas of the state to vacate immediately, adding that such communities adjoining beaches and waterfronts are prone to havoc.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Segun Oniru, has ordered the immediate evacuation of the state’s waterfront communities.

In a release made available to Daily Times, Oniru explained that the move was necessary to avert disaster at the waterfronts. He also said the move was necessitated by seven days of high waves accompanied by a strong ocean surge which hit the country’s coastline, including Lagos.

He identified places from which residents are expected to move as including, Badagry and Ojo Waterfront areas, Bar Beach, Kuramo Beach, Goshen Estate, Maiyegun and Alpha Beach.

According to him, the State emergency services had been mobilised to monitor the situation and respond accordingly. It will be noted that coastal areas in the state, particularly communities surrounding Alpha Beach, have recently been sacked by ocean surges.

Residents have blamed the recent experiences on ship wrecks and abandoned vessels on the sea.

However, in spite of promises from the state and federal governments, the situation has continued unabated.

When Daily Times visited the beach, the area had been cordoned off and residents ordered to vacate the vicinity. Construction vehicles were seen on site frantically trying to curtail the surge by sandfilling the shores of the beach.