At least four persons have so far been confirmed dead while several others with various degrees of injuries are in hospital as a result of trees that fell in the popular Jattu Market in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State following a heavy downpour.
An eyewitness account noted that a woman and her less than a year old child were among the victims of the unfortunate incident, saying the trees were completely pulled down as a result of the thunder storm.
The Chairman of the Council, Mr. Marvellous Zibiri, also confirmed the death of the persons while speaking with newsmen at the market.
“During the rainfall four trees in the market fell simultaneously while people took cover under the trees thereby killing some people and injuring many others.
“So far, we have been able to recover four persons and we have taken them to the mortuary while those who sustained injuries are at the hospital receiving treatment,” he said.
He further added that rescue operation is still ongoing at the scene as the trees are being sawn into pieces to confirm if there are other bodies under the trees, describing the incident as a tragedy, and sympathised with the families who lost their loved ones at the market.
Meanwhile, the market women are calling on the local and state government to come to their aid to build a modern market for them as the Jattu Market is the biggest market in Edo North and one of the biggest in the state.
