23 die as vehicles crash into collapsed bridge

Thirty-four people were killed in separate auto accidents in Katsina and Jigawa states between Monday and Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that 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.
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 9.30p.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 a high
speed.
The bus and the passengers were swept by the
heavy current and some of the dead bodies
were recovered miles away in Ajiwa area, the
villagers and officials told NAN .
NAN also gathered that only two of the
passengers in the bus, including a student of
the Federal College of Education, Bichi in Kano
State, survived the incident.
The student, Jamilu Aminu-Elder, who was seen
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 the 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 5.00a.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 death 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.
The Permanent Secretary, State Ministry for
Works and Housing, Mallam Rabi’u Ibrahim,
and an official of Federal Roads Maintenance
Agency 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.
Also, some 11 palace guards of the Emir of
Hadejia, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje in Jigawa
State were on Tuesday killed in a ghastly uuto
accident. A source in Hadejia who confirmed
this, said the palace guards were on their way
to receive the emir, who had returned to the
country from a medical trip.
An eyewitness said the vehicles conveying the
guards had an head-on coalition with a
heavyduty tanker around Zakirai-Ringim road
in Jigawa State.
A palace source said the entire emirate had
been thrown into mourning, when the news of
the incident filtered into the emirate.
The traditional guards are popularly known in
Hausa as ‘ Dogarai’ with their leader referred to
as ‘Sarkin Dogarai.’
The source, who added that they were still in
shock, said the emirate would issue a formal
statement regarding the tragedy.