A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded on Sunday in the Umunwokoji Umuayalu village of Egbu, Owerri North LGA, Imo State, as four young men perished while attempting to clean out a sewage pit. The men, who entered the pit one after another in a desperate bid to save each other, never made it out alive, leaving the community in shock and sorrow.
Eyewitnesses report that the first worker descended into the pit around 10 AM, only to become unresponsive. In a frantic effort to rescue him, the second, third, and fourth men entered the pit sequentially, only to meet the same tragic fate. The incident, which has left the community reeling, occurred under circumstances that many locals have described as mysterious and inexplicable.
The identities of the victims, one of whom was a newly married man with a month-old baby, have not yet been officially released. Their bodies were later recovered by local authorities and have been taken to a nearby mortuary for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Environmental engineer Sunday Ihekire, speaking on the incident, highlighted the dangers associated with such tasks. “This is a devastating reminder of the need to follow strict safety protocols when dealing with hazardous environments like sewage pits. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims.”
This tragic event has cast a pall over the village, with many residents fearing it may be a bad omen. Local leaders are calling for an investigation to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.
