8 die in Enugu underground water tank- Police

By Ese Awhotu with agency report

The Enugu State Police Command yesterday confirmed that eight persons died in an underground water safety tank in the state.

The police gave the confirmation in a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu on Tuesday.

The police said the incident occurred at a building site located at Igogoro in Igboeze North Local Government Area of the state on Monday this week.

Narrating how the ordeal occurred, the police spokesman said “A yet-to-be-identified worker in the site had on that fateful day gone to evacuate water from the said tank but in the process got trapped inside it.

“After waiting for the victim to come out but didn’t, other victims started going into the said tank to offer help but were also trapped inside and became unconscious”.

However, Amaraizu said that the victims were later recovered by other sympathizers and police operatives at the scene and took them to the General Hospital Ogurute where the doctor on duty confirmed them dead.

He said the bodies have been deposited at the Ogurute General Hospital’s mortuary, Amaraizu.

Amaraizu further said that, the State Police Commissioner Suleiman Balarabe has expressed shock at the incident, described it as unfortunate.

Meanwhile. He said that the Police Commissioner had directed for a full- scale investigation  to unravel the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.