A yet-to-be-identified man was Sunday swept away by the waves at the Bar Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The incident, which occurred at about 4:30pm, according to the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, may have been caused by climate change.
The victim, who was in company of other Muslim faithfuls of the Sallahu Ala Monla Nabiya, was said to have come to the beach for spiritual exercise.
It was learnt that other beach fun seekers at the scene had endeavoured to rescue him to no avail.
The Sunday incident was the fifth in 12 days at the Bar Beach, as four other people got drowned at the beach on January 1.
According to NEMA’s South West Coordinator and an environmentalist, Iyiola Akande “when ice formations in the Polar Regions of Canada, the USA and Europe melt and flow into the Atlantic Ocean, the effect is increased in the volume of water, which lead to extensive ocean tide beyond the limit of the sea shore.
“Such situation increases the Continental Shelve- part of the cumulative effects of Global warming.”
Confirming the incident, NEMA’s South-West spokesman, Ibrahim Farinloye, admitted that four other people got drown on New Year’s Day.
He said: “An adult man in company with friends was washed away at Bar Beach on Sunday evening. The man and his friends stayed far from the usual area where other fun seekers converged. Suddenly one of them raised the alarm on the drowning man.
“Immediately the beach rescuers made frantic efforts saving the man but they could not rescue him. This incident has brought the number of those that drowned at the Bar Beach to five in just 12 days.”