23 killed as vehicles crash into collapsed bridge in Katsina -11 palace guards, 3 others die in Kano

NO fewer than 23 persons were feared killed in multiple crashes, when their vehicles plunged into a collapsed bridge at Yar’randa village in Charanchi Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the first crash involved a bus conveying 24 passengers which plunged into the bridge few minutes after its collapse on Monday night.
According to the witness, the bridge collapsed at about 9.30 p.m. due to a downpour and moments after, the bus, with registration number XA 328 KZR, conveying passengers from Kano to Katsina, fell into the bridge.
The villagers said efforts made to alert the bus driver was to no avail as he was on high speed.
The bus and the passengers were swept by the heavy current and some of the dead bodies were recovered miles away at Ajiwa area, the villagers and officials told NAN.
NAN also gathered that only two of the passengers in the bus, including a student of Federal College of Education, Bichi in Kano State, survived.
The student, Jamilu Aminu-Elder, who was found at the scene, could not speak to NAN as he was still in shock.
The police said 10 bodies had been recovered and deposited at the mortuary of General Hospital, Kankia while the search for 12 others was ongoing.
Similarly, another person was reported dead when the vehicle he was in, a Mitsubishi truck, fell into the water at about 5.00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Two other persons in the vehicle, however, survived while a motorcycle rider with a passenger, who also plunged into the collapsed bridge, were rescued alive.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bala Senchi, who visited the scene, confirmed the story, but said the police were not clear on the number of those who died as the search for the missing passengers was still on.
He said policemen had been deployed to the area to control traffic and prevent further accident at the scene.
Malam Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry for Works and Housing and an official of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) had visited the scene to assess the damage.
Ibrahim said a report would be forwarded to the Katsina State government for prompt intervention.
He condoled with the families of the deceased persons and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died.
11 Hadejia palace guards, 3 other die in auto crash
Eleven Hadejia Emirate palace guards in Jigawa State and three others were confirmed dead in a ghastly auto crash which occurred at about 9.00 p.m. of Monday, about 5 kilometre after Ringim town, on the Hadejia-Kano road.
Reports from the state indicated that the palace guards were in a Peugeot bus from Hadejia heading to Kano to receive the Emir Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje Haruna, at Aminu Kano International Airport.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune in the state the information officer of Hadejia Local Government and media assistant attached to the emirate council, Muhammad Garba Talaki confirmed the accident said, “the accident was as a result of heavy downpour at the time the bus conveying the palace guards had a head collation with a trailer containing Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) coming from opposite direction (Kano side) to Hadejia and instantly caught fire which burnt all the victims beyond recognition.
He said the corpses had been taken to Hadejia for burial.
Findings by our reporter revealed that the emir was returning from a trip abroad and landed at Abuja airport and was to join another flight to Kano for his final destination to Hadejia.
According an eyewitness “with the help of fire service, we are able to bring out twelve burnt bodies from the bus and three bodies from the tanker trailer.”
The Jigawa State correspondent’s chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condoled with the Emir of Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje, over the death of 11 palace guards on Monday evening.
This was contained in a press statement issued and signed by the chairman of the correspondent’s chapel in the state, Mallam Ahmed Abubakar and made available to our reporter in Dutse.
According to the chairman, “the state correspondents’ chapel have received with shock the news of the death of palace guards of the emir of Hadejia.”
The chapel prayed Almighty Allah for the repose of the souls of the guards.
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