Olayomi Koiki
KANO, Nigeria – At least 14 worshippers were confirmed dead after a trailer ran into Jumaat congregation worshippers in Nigeria’s northern Kano State, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said.
The accident occurred at Imawa town, Kura Local Government Area on Kano-Kaduna highway shortly after Friday prayer around 13.50 pm when the driver of the trailer with the number plate MKA 537XN coming from Kaduna lost control and ran into the worshippers.
Nine of the deceased persons were buried on Friday afternoon, while those injured were receiving treatment at a hospital, according to a statement signed by the FRSC Public Relations Officer, Kano Sector Command, Abdullahi Labaran.
The statement revealed that the driver of the trailer was at large.
Labaran said the FRSC Kano State Command promptly dispatched personnel to the scene, alongside other security agencies, upon receiving a distress call, to initiate rescue operations and provide immediate medical assistance to the injured victims.
The Sector Commander, Ibrahim Abdullahi, condoled the families of the deceased and emphasised the FRSC’s commitment to road safety, urging all road users to adhere strictly to traffic regulations to prevent such “avoidable tragedies”.
In a similar incident, at least eight people were feared dead when a one-storey building collapsed in the Kuntau area of Gwale Local Government Area, Kano State.
The incident occurred early Friday morning while labourers were working on the construction site.
Sources from the area reported that at least 15 individuals, including the building owner, were trapped when the structure gave way, local newspaper, Daily Trust reported.
The owner, referred to as Sharu, was constructing the new storey to attach to his existing home. It was said that some of the people trapped were passerby who had sought shelter from the rain.
Upon hearing the news, Sharu’s wife reportedly rushed to the site, crying for help. Neighbours and passersby quickly mobilised to rescue those trapped under the rubble.
It was learnt that seven people were rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, and one person died on the way.
A staff member of the Kano Fire Service, who sought anonymity, confirmed that the building trapped 15 people, with seven fatalities reported so far.
Buses from the Kano State Fire Service, along with police personnel from the Dorayi Division, left the area around 7:30pm to ensure no one remained trapped in the building and as a precautionary measure.
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