Windstorm KilIs Boy, 13

A 13 year old boy, Master Joseph Atinikongye has been killed by windstorm in Debia in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Debia, a serene village located at 15km in the out sketch of Obudu Urban was heavily rammed by the storm in the evening of Friday April 16, 2010 causing pandemonium.

Having no premonition of the storm before its devastating effect, the people of the village scuttled for safety as the wind rattled everything in sight including trees which seemed to bow to its pleasure.

Roof tops particularly those with corrugated roofing sheets were uncapped and were flown about like kites and most of them ramming into hitherto spared buildings.

Unlike the normal rainy days where children and women will be seen rushing out of their houses with containers to collect water and some children cooling off the heat of the day with the rain water, it was different on this fateful day.

Many of the villagers, however, were trapped in the farms and streams.

Master Joseph Atinikongye was one of them.

Having gone to the stream on that fateful day to fetch water for the family use he was unfortunately cut up in the storm and decided to rush home alongside the younger brother whom he occasionally shoved to run ahead of him.

Getting to a neighbouring compound about 6 poles away from the house the wall of a building suddenly collapsed on him with a white 20 litres paint bucket of water he was carrying crushing him to death.

The younger brother seeing what had happened to his sibling ran back to safe the brother.

Amidst wails he desperately tried with his feeble hands to dig out the rubbles to no avail.

The incident drew out occupants of the house and neighbours who ran to the scene to dig out the boy who had unfortunately died.

When the combined team of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA and National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA paid a condolence visit to the parent of Master Joseph, many men, women and friends of the deceased were there to mourn with them.

The father, Mr. Atinikongye said the loss of the boy was devastating to the family.