21 Athletes Killed, Several Injured as Bus Carrying Sportsmen from National Event Crashes In Nigeria
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
- At least 21 athletes and officials from Kano State have been confirmed dead following horriffic road accide.
Source: Twitter
The athletes, who recently participated in the National Sports Festival in Ogun State lost their lives in the incident that occurred around 8am on Saturday, May 31 at the Daka Tsalle Bridge.
According to APA News, the bus carring 35 people, mostly athletes and officials, hit a pothole, causing it to overturn near the bridge.
An official, Ado Salisu, who witnessed the incident, disclosed that the incident happened after bus hit a pothole, rolled several times and plunged off the bridge.
According to Salisu, 19 of the athletes and officials died at the scene of the accident, while two others gave up the ghost at the Kura General Hospital.
He explained that one of the notable among the deceased was the Kano State Sports Council spokesperson, Galadima Ibrahim.
Those who sustained injuries are at the hospital receiving treatment, while efforts are ongoing to hand over the remains of the deceased to their respective families.
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has declared Monday, June 2, a public holiday to sympathise with families of the athletes who died in a tragic accident while on their way from Ogun State.
“He directed that Monday, 2nd June 2025, be declared as a public holiday for the good people of Kano to pray and sympathize with the families of the victims," Yusuf said as reported by Daily Post.
The state also urged Imams and all Muslims in Kano and beyond to pray for the souls of the departed and for their families to find strength in their time of loss.
In another tragic incident, three students from Dr. Aggrey Boys' High School were among four passengers who lost their lives in a road accident on the Wundanyi-Mwatate road.
The crash happened after the vehicle they were in suffered brake failure and collided with the Josa Bend.
Initial reports reveal that the students were heading home following a fire that broke out in one of the school’s dormitories.
The school management had decided to send students home on Saturday, February 1, after a second fire incident occurred within the same week.
Photos obtained by show local residents attempting to rescue passengers trapped inside the vehicle, while others looked on in shock at the tragic scene that claimed four lives.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
