A devastating accident on Saturday claimed the lives of at least 20 athletes from the Kano State team as they made their way home from the just concluded National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The tragic incident occurred at the Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government Area of Kano State.
The bus, which was carrying 30 members of the contingent, reportedly plunged off the bridge, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries.
Confirming the incident, Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, said the crash had taken a heavy toll on the team.“As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies,” Fagge stated, adding that several others had sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Ado Salisu, a former Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), also confirmed that the injured were being transported to the Kura General Hospital for treatment.
The Kano Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) also acknowledged the accident. Its Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Labaran, said the agency had just received the report.“We just received the report of the accident, so, I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at the moment,” he noted.
The incident has sent shockwaves across the state and the sports community, casting a somber shadow over what had been a celebratory national sporting event.
