Two dead as refuse dump collapses on building in Cross River

Two individuals have died in Calabar, Cross River State, after a refuse dump collapsed and struck a building. The incident occurred Friday along Old Odukpani Road at Ikot Effanga, according to the state police spokesperson, Sunday Eitokpah.

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The Command is currently conducting an assessment of the circumstances surrounding the incident, while further investigation is ongoing.

Police personnel responding to the scene discovered that the collapsed refuse had impacted a building situated in a valley. The deceased were identified as Nfon Imé, a male, and an unidentified female. Their bodies have been recovered and taken to a mortuary. The Cross River State Police Command is currently assessing the circumstances and conducting further investigations.

This tragedy adds to a series of environmental disasters in Cross River. In July, a landslide killed five people, including four children, in Ikot Anwatim Community. Earlier this month, a hospital in Calabar partially collapsed due to a landslide following persistent rainfall. The state government has described these persistent issues as a "serious natural disaster."

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Further details will be communicated as soon as they are verified and available.

In response to the escalating problems of landslides, flooding, erosion, and land degradation, the Cross River government is seeking international assistance. At the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Mongolia, the state requested $25 million for emergency response, ecological restoration, and long-term resilience. The proposed initiative includes funding for slope stabilization, drainage and erosion control, risk mapping, and early-warning systems.

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serious natural disaster