Nigeria: Lagos - One Dead, 15 Missing As Ocean Surge Sacks Kuramo Community

An early morning ocean surge on Saturday sacked communities around Kuramo Beach in Lagos, leaving one person dead and 15 others missing.

Mr Femi Oke-Osayintolu, General Manager of The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said the incident occurred at about 2 a.m. when residents were asleep, adding that those affected were mainly people occupying illegal shanties at the beach front.

"Yes, there was an ocean surge at Kuramo Beach very early this morning and we have some casualties.

"We have just recovered one body and we are still on a frantic search for about 15 people still missing.

"We have cordoned off the entire area and have asked residents to vacate immediately. It is a serious thing, but we are on top of the situation", he said.

The general manager said ocean surge was a problem in communities around beach fronts and had wreaked havoc in the past.

He urged residents living or doing business around other beach fronts in the state to leave immediately.

Mr Akin Bayode, a resident of Iru community where the surge occurred, said the problem had been compounded by abandoned vessels.

He also blamed the problem on ship wrecks in Alpha Beach and other beaches in the state.

Bayode appealed to the Federal Government to assist the State Government to remove the wrecks in order to address the problem.

NAN