The search and rescue operations for a yet-to-be-identified drainage worker trapped in an underground tunnel in the Onipanu area of Lagos State continued Tuesday.
It was reported that the incident happened on Monday while the victim was de-silting drainages in the community.
In a statement, the Permanent Secretary of the state Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu stated that the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority employed the male adult who works for Drain Ducks.
The LASEMA boss explained that the worker got trapped in the tunnel while trying to dislodge and evacuate debris from the underground drainage.
Checks by newsmen on Tuesday, however, revealed that the missing worker had yet to be found having spent over 24 hours in the tunnel.
A staff member of LASEMA who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity as he was not permitted to talk to the press, said the water that stockpiled in the drainage may have swept the victim away the moment he removed the blockade.
The source said, “The drainage is interconnected via Oshodi, Onipanu, Yaba, Shomolu, Mushin and other areas. The water that gets drained from the surface flows through the underground and it was at the Onipanu end of the drainage the worker discovered debris blocking the drainage. So he entered the manhole and tried to remove the blockade unknown to him that water had stockpiled on the other end.
“As soon he removed it, the water gushed and swept him away. In the picture, you would see a man with a rope tied to him. He went into the drainage in search of the worker. He spent close to 30 minutes before the rope was used to pull him out. He took time to rest and went in again and spent 40 minutes. The operation was suspended when it was getting dark.”
According to the LASEMA official, those who saw the man said he had been working there since about 2 pm, but they later heard him shouting and that was how they quickly called the attention of emergency responders.
The source added that the drainage was built by the Federal Government and the schematic diagram was with the federal ministry.
“There was no time to start searching for the schematic diagram than to move to work on how to either rescue the victim alive or recover his corpse”, the official added.
