Two fuel hawkers were swept away by the heavy downpour that rocked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Sunday.
The incident happened at a bridge along the Katampe expressway.
The two unidentified hawkers, who were still trying to sell their product despite the heavy rains, were swept away and trapped in a tunnel under the bridge.
It was gathered that one of the victims was rescued on Sunday evening by a combined team of the FCT Fire Service, NEMA, FEMA, FRSC and Civil Defense, who arrived at the scene of the incident.
Our correspondent, who visited the area on Monday morning, reports that while trying to rescue the hawkers, some members of the rescue team got trapped in the tunnel but were eventually rescued.
As of the time this report was filed, one of the hawkers was still trapped while those rescued were rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
Efforts are also ongoing to rescue the trapped hawker.
Due to the scarcity of fuel in the FCT, many turned to hawking petrol in cans on the streets, definitely at a higher price.
These ‘black market’ sellers usually resurface when there is fuel scarcity or long queues at petrol stations.
