A yet-to-be-identified drainage drain ducks worker employed by LAMATA was trapped in an underground drainage at the Onipanu area of Lagos State on Monday while clearing one of the blocked drainages.
The incident was said to have occurred on Monday afternoon, around 1pm, while clearing a clogged underground drainage directly beside the popular Mobil petrol station on the Mushin ais of Onipanu.
While the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unknown, rescue operations have been on for hours, causing panic as onlookers anticipate a positive outcome.
Our correspondent at the incident scene gathered that the victim is known to traders in the environment, some of whom had to forcefully close as they eagerly anticipated the rescue of the victim.
However, worried faces soon turned pale, when one of the rescuers was pulled out unconscious after hours of search in the almost little ventilated gutter.
The Lagos State Fire And Rescue Service, in collaboration with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and other emergency responders, were at the scene of the incident with all efforts directed toward rescuing the trapped victim.
LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement on Monday night, confirmed the development.
“Following an SOS message on the distress situation of a Drainage Worker, LASEMA activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans from its Onipanu Base.
“Upon the arrival of the emergency responders at the incident scene, investigations revealed that an adult male de-silting drainages along that axis in an attempt to clear a blocked portion accessed the underground tunnel and got trapped.
“Further investigation at the incident scene revealed that the man was a Drain Ducks worker employed by LAMATA while trying to dislodge and evacuate debris from the underground drainage, unfortunately, got trapped in between the tunnel.”
Dr Oke-Osanyintolu added that “all Emergency Responders are working together assiduously to rescue the trapped victim from inside the underground drainage which commenced at 1625hrs.
“To hasten positive results, sophisticated equipment has been deployed in the penetrative of the manhole to save the worker’s life, while strategic efforts have also been employed to block off, and divert the inflow of water from the Ilupeju axis to reduce the volume of underground fluids.”
However, as observed by our correspondent, the search and rescue operation had to be halted around 9pm on Monday moments after one of the rescuers who was was pulled out of the drainage unconscious.
One of the members of the emergency rescue team confirmed to our correspondent that the rescue operations will resume on Tuesday.
