By Akpan Udo-Inyang
CALABAR -A landslide from a hilly refuse dumps in Ikot Effanga community, Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, has crashed down on a building, trapping two occupants beneath the debris and killing them.
The victims, whose identities had yet to be established as of the time of filing this report, were reportedly recovered by youths of the community in the early hours of Friday.
An eyewitness told our reporter that the rescuers battled to dig through the earth, but the victims were already dead before they could be brought out.
“They were dug out by youths of the community this morning, and before they could bring them out, both of them had already passed out. Their bodies have been taken to the mortuary,” the eyewitness said.
The tragedy has plunged the usually calm community into mourning, with sympathisers arriving at the scene as residents gathered around the collapsed building.
For years, a deep and expanding gully ravine has posed a threat to residents of Ikot Effanga, swallowing portions of land, destroying properties and leaving residents living under the constant fear of disaster.
An elderly resident, who declined to be mentioned, said the community had repeatedly appealed to both the Cross River State Government and the Federal Government to intervene before the ravine claims lives.
Our reporter, observed that the landslide appeared to have originated from the elevated portion of the area, where residents reportedly dispose of refuse, sending a mass of earth downhill onto the building situated below.
The affected apartment reportedly housed three separate tenants and an elderly woman living in the building narrowly escaped the disaster, while the two deceased occupants were trapped by the earth.
Several other buildings are located beneath and around the hill, with some structures still under construction, raising concerns about the safety of other residents should the erosion continue unchecked.
The incident also comes barely a month after another landslide tragedy in Ikot Awatim community, where four children from the same family reportedly lost their lives after a landslide struck their home .