17th May, 2022
Death toll in Tuesday’s gas explosion at Aba Road, Sabon Gari area of Kano State has hit nine, emergency officials have said.
A massive explosion rocked the area on Tuesday morning with many initially thinking it was a bomb attack. School children were seen drenched in blood.
The police had earlier confirmed four people dead.
But the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the death toll had reached nine.
NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, in a statement said nine bodies have been recovered so far from the rubbles of a collapsed building beside a primary school following explosions from gas cylinder at Aba Road in Sabon Gari area of Kano.
“Director-General National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, was at the site of the incident and coordinated the rescue operations.
“He mobilised excavators being used for the rescue operations and said NEMA team will ensure complete removal of the rubbles to retrieve all trapped persons,” he said.
Ezekiel added that the DG instructed the NEMA rescue team to remain at the site until conclusion of the rescue and to work together with security agencies and other response organisations present at the location.
He said NEMA was presently coordinating the rescue operations involving members, Nigerian Red Cross, military, the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Kano SEMA.