Hundreds of commuters were stranded in the early hours of Tuesday, after severe flooding washed away portions of the East-West Road at Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, cutting off vehicular movement along the busy highway.
The incident followed 10 days of persistent rainfall that has submerged large parts of Agbarho and Ughelli, displacing several residents and forcing some schools to shut down.
The road reportedly collapsed at a culvert close to the Agbarho Police Station after rising floodwaters overwhelmed the drainage channel, leaving motorists travelling between Ughelli and Port Harcourt stranded for hours.
It was gathered that the flood initially affected one lane of the highway, forcing motorists to divert to the remaining lane. However, the situation deteriorated as the floodwaters continued to rise, eventually cutting off the second lane and bringing vehicular movement to a standstill.
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Some stranded commuters who spoke with our correspondent lamented the development, saying they had spent several hours searching for alternative routes to continue their journeys.
One of the affected drivers said he was forced to divert through Agbarho Town towards Eku after discovering that the alternative route through the community has also been submerged.
The flooding has equally wreaked havoc on residential communities in Ughelli and Agbarho, forcing many families to abandon their homes as floodwaters continued to rise.
In Ughelli, the worst-hit areas include Upper Agbarho, Afiesere and Oteri, where several residential buildings and access roads have been submerged.
The situation in Agbarho is reportedly more severe, with virtually every part of the town affected by the flooding. Residents attributed the extent of the devastation to the community’s proximity to the river, which has reportedly overflowed following the prolonged rainfall.
Some schools in the affected communities have also been forced to suspend academic activities as rising floodwaters rendered their premises and access roads inaccessible.
The collapse of the Agbarho section of the East-West Road has further compounded the hardship faced by residents and travellers, as motorists struggle to navigate alternative routes, many of which have also been flooded.
The development has raised concerns over the safety of commuters and residents, particularly as the persistent rainfall continues to threaten more communities across Ughelli North Local Government Area.
