Tragedy struck the Ogbor Hill area of Aba, Abia State, on Saturday as a five-year-old girl, Melody Isaac, was swept away by floodwaters during a heavy downpour, prompting renewed calls for improved drainage infrastructure and flood safety measures.
The incident occurred along Akpu Road, where the child reportedly fell into an open drainage channel and was carried away by the fast-moving flood.
Speaking after the incident, Melody’s elder brother, Destiny Isaac, recounted the heartbreaking moments leading to her disappearance.
“I was sitting on the drainage slab and called her to come outside. She saw that I was too close to the drainage and tried to pull me back. She slipped, fell into the drainage and the flood swept her away before anyone could save her,” he said.
Their mother, Christiana Nukwe, a trader at Good Morning Market, said she was at her shop when neighbours alerted her to the tragedy.
“I received a call and rushed home, only to discover that my daughter had been swept away by the flood. I still cannot believe she is gone,” she said.
The distraught mother described the incident as the worst moment of her life, adding that she had left the children at home while she went to work that morning.
Residents said they immediately launched a search and made frantic efforts to rescue the child but were overwhelmed by the strength of the floodwaters.
One eyewitness said Melody had been eating before her brother invited her outside to play in the rain.
“Everything happened within a few minutes. She slipped into the open drainage and the current carried her away. People ran after her and searched everywhere, but the flood was too strong,” the eyewitness said.
Another resident blamed the recurring incidents on poor drainage infrastructure in the area.
“This is not the first time something like this has happened. Many of our drainage channels are open, blocked and dangerous, especially during heavy rainfall. Government needs to act before more lives are lost,” the resident said.
The incident has reignited concerns over flood management in Aba, with residents urging the Abia State Government and relevant agencies to urgently clear blocked drains, cover open drainage channels and strengthen flood control measures to prevent similar tragedies.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to recover the child’s body were ongoing.