A fatal road crash has claimed the lives of at least 20 athletes from the Kano State contingent who were returning from the just-concluded National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The tragic accident occurred on Saturday at the Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government Area of Kano State. According to officials, a bus conveying about 30 athletes plunged off the bridge, resulting in a devastating loss of life and multiple injuries.
Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, confirmed the incident to reporters, disclosing that 19 bodies had been counted as of the time of his statement.
“As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies,” Fagge said, adding that many others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Eyewitnesses and local officials said the victims were part of the team returning from the National Sports Festival, popularly known as the Gateway Games, which concluded recently in Ogun State. The identities of the deceased athletes have not yet been released.
Ado Salisu, a former Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), also confirmed that casualties were being transported to the Kura General Hospital for medical attention and further documentation.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Sector Command, Abdullahi Labaran, also verified the occurrence of the accident but could not provide an exact casualty figure at the time.
“We just received the report of the accident, so I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at the moment,” Labaran said.
The incident has thrown the Kano sports community and the nation at large into mourning. Authorities are expected to launch a full investigation into the cause of the accident, while efforts to support the victims’ families and survivors are ongoing.
