A birthday celebration took a tragic turn as a 29-year-old man identified as Francis drowned while swimming at the Pop Beach Club in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred on Thursday around 12 pm while the victim was holding a birthday hangout with friends.
According to eyewitnesses, Francis and three others left the celebration to swim in the sea.
Lifeguards near the shore raised the alarm when they observed the four individuals struggling against the tide.
“The celebrant came with 11 friends, including the victim, around 12 pm. They were having fun when about four of them went to swim in the beach. After spending about 30 minutes swimming, we could no longer see them again. The next moment we saw them, they were already struggling in the water. That was when we alerted the lifeguards who went into the sea to rescue them. They were only able to rescue three of them,” an eyewitness revealed.
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Despite efforts by the lifeguards, they were unable to rescue Francis, who had become too weak to swim.
The beach management promptly reported the incident to the police, and local divers were engaged for a search operation. Unfortunately, the victim could not be found that day.
The remains of Francis were discovered on Saturday when his body washed ashore. The police were informed, and the body has been deposited in the morgue.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, stating, “It happened. The body was recovered two days after the incident, and the corpse has been deposited in the morgue.”
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