The flood that ravaged parts of Borno State, Sunday, reportedly claimed the life of a pregnant woman, while passengers of three Volkswagen saloon cars are still missing.
It was gathered that the incident occurred after a downpour, which destroyed a small uncompleted bridge between Buratai and Miringa communities situated along the 120km Biu-Damaturu road.
An eyewitness said many passengers and motorists were stranded as others made a U-turn and passed the night in bushes of Buniyadi town of Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
It would be recalled that the Biu-Damaturu road is the only route that remained safe and accessible to people, travellers and farmers living in Maiduguri while travelling to Biu, Hawul, Shani, Kwaya Kusar and Bayo local government areas of the Borno State, as the Maiduguri-Damboa Biu road has remained a nightmare due to activities of Boko Haram/ISWAP in the past six years.
One of the survivors, John Audu, who advised the driver of the commercial vehicle conveying them to Biu to make a U-turn and passed the night in Buni Gari, the home town of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, yesterday, in a telephone interview, disclosed that he saw the recovered dead body of the young woman from the flood and the three vehicles being swept away with passengers on board.
Another survivor, Hajiya Shatu Mohammed, said: “We are appealing to the Borno State Government under the leadership of Governor Babagana Zulum to come to our rescue by reconstructing the failed portion, as it remains the only road that is relatively safe to reach Biu, other parts of Southern Borno senatorial district from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital as well.”
