LAGOS NOVEMBER 7TH (URHOBOTODAY)-No fewer than four people were reported to have lost their lives as a result of flood which occupied the Calabar-Itu highway at Okurikang axis of the road in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State.
One of the canoes used in the transportation of stranded people across ta flooded road was said to have capsized, which led to the drowning of the four women. Their lifeless bodies were said to have been recovered by divers.
More than four kilometers of the highway was said to have been covered with floor as a result of the flash flood said to have started in the early hour of Friday.
The flood caused stampede on the road as hundreds of motorists could not navigate their way through to continue their journey.
Thousands of road travelers got stuck on the highway as the rush by vehicles including heavy-duty trucks and tankers led to gridlock on the road.
For those who were anxious to continue their journey, they had to pick cyclists that initiated their ways through the low level of the floor to a point where the passengers pick canoe to cross where the floor was high.
No fewer than 30 canoes were said to have been engaged by the locals to carry passengers across the flood to where they can continue with their trip.
To carry a passenger to where he can pick canoe, a cyclist charged N200, while canoe operators charged N100 to across the high flooding point.
The flood is said to occur every 10 to 15 years and will last on the road for about two to three days.
Many people who were going for ceremonies, like weddings, burials, church activities or any other social gathering got stuck in the gridlock