Flood Disaster Claims Lives of Miners, Drives Rivers Students From School

Flood Disaster Claims Lives of Miners, Drives Rivers Students From School

Flood disaster has claimed the lives of nine miners in Bauchi State while forcing students and staff of a Rivers State school to relocate temporarily.

The Bauchi tragedy occurred at Nahuta Village, Gwana District, Alkaleri Local Government Area, after heavy rainfall caused floodwater to rush into a mining pit.

The miners were reportedly working at Pit Three when the water overwhelmed the excavation, trapping several workers underground and triggering an overnight rescue operation.

The Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafiu Habib, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying the miners were contract workers.

According to Habib, police received a report from Kasim Abdulsalam, purchase manager of Zurfi Mining Company in Nahuta, after the mining pit became flooded.

Police personnel were subsequently deployed to the site, where three water-pumping generators were used to remove the water and reach the trapped miners.

One miner was initially rescued from the flooded pit but had suffered electrocution and was taken to General Hospital, Kashere, in Gombe State.

A doctor at the hospital later confirmed the rescued miner dead, while the rescue operation continued through the night as workers battled the rising water.

The remaining eight miners were eventually brought out of the flooded pit at about 6:20am the following day, but none survived the disaster.

Medical personnel subsequently confirmed the deaths of the eight miners, bringing the total number of fatalities recorded from the mining incident to nine.

The eight identified victims were Hamidu Ali, 40; Saidu Abubakar, 29; Olije Abdulrazak, 25; and Musa Abdullahi, 29, according to police information.

Others identified were Abdulrahman Mu’azu, 23; Jafar Abbas, 24; Jose Ukese, 28; and Haruna Alkali, 30, whose remains were released to their families.

The victims were from Bauchi, Nasarawa, Kogi and Kebbi states, with their remains released after medical examination for burial according to religious traditions.

Police said investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mining disaster was still ongoing as authorities continued examining how the flooding overwhelmed the excavation.

The Bauchi tragedy occurred amid renewed flooding concerns elsewhere, with Rivers State recording severe flooding that has affected residential communities and educational facilities.

In Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Rivers State Government temporarily relocated students and staff of Community Secondary School, Rumuapara, to another school.

Secondary School in Rivers State

The temporary relocation to State Primary School, Nkpolu, Rumuigbo, began on Wednesday, September 30, after floodwater submerged the school premises.

The flooding also spread into surrounding residential areas, raising concerns about the safety of students, teachers and residents living within affected communities.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr Peters Nwagor, approved the relocation through a circular aimed at protecting students and members of staff.

The measure is expected to remain in place while authorities work towards addressing the flooding situation and restoring safer conditions around the affected school.

Several communities across Rivers State, particularly parts of Port Harcourt, have experienced flooding, leaving residents displaced and damaging homes, roads and other property.

The situation has added to growing concerns about the ability of communities and emergency agencies to respond effectively to increasingly difficult flooding incidents.

The National Emergency Management Agency has also placed 15 states on flood red alert as authorities intensify preparations against possible flooding.

The states are Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu and Abia.

Speaking in Kaduna on Wednesday, NEMA Kaduna Operations Office Head, Halima Dauda Sulaiman, said the agency was strengthening emergency responders’ capacity.

Sulaiman, who represented the NEMA Director-General, said flood emergencies were becoming increasingly complicated, particularly in densely populated urban areas.

She said experiences from NEMA’s flood operations in 2022, 2024 and 2025 had exposed responders to submerged homes, damaged structures and electrical hazards.

The official also noted that emergency operations increasingly involved large numbers of displaced residents, requiring responders to develop stronger skills for complex flood situations.

NEMA is therefore using a refresher course on Urban Search and Rescue to prepare emergency personnel for increasingly challenging flood-related rescue operations.

The incidents in Bauchi and Rivers underscore the human consequences of flooding, while the nationwide alert highlights the continuing need for preparedness.

As communities face renewed flood risks, authorities are being urged through ongoing emergency preparations to strengthen response systems and protect vulnerable residents from avoidable disasters.