A massive landslide triggered by prolonged heavy rainfall has swept through a community in Cross River State, killing five people and destroying several homes, according to Channels Television. The disaster struck the Ikot Anwatim community in Calabar Municipality, burying houses under mud and leaving families grieving, while many others have been left with nowhere to sleep after their homes were flattened.
Among those killed were four children from a single household. Their father, Kingsley Etim Eden, described the scale of his loss, saying his eldest child was about 18 years old, while the others were still in school. One had just entered a new secondary-school class this September, and the youngest were in primary and nursery, underscoring how the tragedy tore through an entire young family in a matter of moments.
Community members said two other victims survived the incident and are currently receiving treatment in hospital. In the immediate aftermath, residents rushed to the scene to rescue their neighbours, digging through the thick mud with their bare hands in desperate attempts to save anyone who might still be trapped beneath the collapsed earth and debris.
Witnesses described the moment of the collapse as almost impossible to put into words, as the sodden hillside gave way and slid over the homes below. The rescue efforts continued even as more rain threatened the already saturated ground, with families searching frantically for relatives and neighbours in the hours after the earth came down on the settlement.
Residents insisted the tragedy did not come without warning. According to them, they had repeatedly appealed to the government over the worsening erosion and poor drainage in the area, but little was done. They believe the disaster could have been prevented if lasting erosion-control measures had been put in place before the rains intensified this season.
Survivors and community leaders directed their appeals to the Cross River State government, urging urgent intervention. One resident said he had heard of the work the state governor had carried out in other communities and believed the same support could be extended to Ikot Anwatim, pleading for help to prevent any further loss of life in the vulnerable neighbourhood.
The community's repeated cry for help underscored fears that such a disaster could happen again if nothing changes. Residents stressed that they did not want to see another family buried in the mud, calling on the authorities to treat the erosion and drainage crisis as an emergency and to move quickly with protective measures before the next heavy downpour arrives.