A tragedy has reportedly been averted in Okpanam, Delta State, following a heavy downpour on Friday afternoon.
Viral videos circulating online on Saturday captured the moment a group of passersby gathered to rescue an unidentified man who was being swept away by floodwaters.
The first video clip, published on X by #ChuksEricE on Saturday, showed a chaotic scene under a heavy downpour.
The footage captured a group of about five men, drenched in the rain, and struggling to pull out an individual who was stuck and submerged deep inside a ditch.
In the background of the footage, distressed residents could be heard screaming and shouting instructions to the rescue team, while praying for his safety.
“God save him o! God have mercy! What is holding him inside the water?” one woman screamed in panic.
Another eyewitness recounted how close the victim came to drowning, saying, “From that side, I was seeing only his head! The water was carrying him away!”
A follow-up video update showed the victim after he had been safely pulled out of the drainage system.
The visibly exhausted man was seen sitting on the roadside asphalt, while the passersby who rescued him spoke to him and assessed his physical condition.
One of the residents who watched the incident from her balcony described his survival as a spiritual intervention, considering the swiftness and depth of the flood channels.
“God is merciful, it’s a miracle! The water carried him from the end of the road till he got here,” a woman was heard saying.
Watch the videos below:
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲
A tragedy has reportedly been averted in Okpanam, Delta State, following a heavy downpour on Friday afternoon.
Viral videos circulating online… pic.twitter.com/bseAOHPttQ
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) June 6, 2026