By Juliet Usman
CALABAR — A fresh landslide triggered by heavy rainfall has swept several houses into the sea in Calabar, Cross River State, leaving critical infrastructure damaged and raising fears of further collapse.
The incident occurred along Jetty Road, near the former Unicem headquarters, where a large section of land gave way after hours of torrential rain, carrying more than five buildings into the adjoining sea.
Although no casualties were recorded, the disaster left behind a massive gully that cut through the second Calabar water channel, a key drainage route for floodwaters into the sea.
The landslide also destroyed one lane of the road linking the Calabar Jetty to the Eastern Naval Command, leaving the remaining lane unstable and posing a serious risk to motorists.
A resident of the area, Janet Osim, urged authorities to immediately shut the road to traffic, warning that further collapse could result in fatalities.
“The right thing is to close this Jetty Road to traffic because the other side could cave in at any moment, and that could lead to loss of lives,” she said.
“We thank God that the occupants of the houses that were swept into the sea had evacuated early enough before the disaster. But allowing traffic to continue on this road is very dangerous.”
Osim attributed the incident to the prolonged and intense rainfall that began on Monday evening and continued into the early hours of Tuesday, saying the already saturated ground, weakened by weeks of flooding, could no longer withstand the pressure.
According to her, the affected area had been under severe stress following persistent flooding that has battered parts of Calabar over the past three weeks.
Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) arrived at the scene on Tuesday morning to assess the damage and assist residents in salvaging belongings from the destroyed buildings.
The latest incident marks the third major landslide to hit Calabar since the onset of heavy rains in early July.
The first occurred at Ikot Anwatim in the northern part of the city, where five people lost their lives, while the second happened at Boropit on the eastern flank of Calabar, claiming two more lives.
Residents have called on the Cross River State Government and relevant emergency agencies to urgently reinforce vulnerable sections of the city and implement lasting flood-control measures to prevent further disasters as the rainy season intensifies.
© 2026, Standard Focus. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from STANDARD FOCUS.