Four individuals lost their lives in a tragic drowning incident at a blocked water channel in Zangon Kaya, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, Kano State. The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the fatalities in a statement issued on Friday by their Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi.
According to Abdullahi, the emergency call was received around 13:48 hrs from one Rabiu Yusif, reporting that four persons had fallen into a waterway obstructed due to ongoing railway line construction.
The PR officer detailed, “Two of the victims entered the waterway to swim when they got trapped. Another person then attempted to rescue them but also became stuck, followed by a fourth who tried to help but was likewise trapped.”
The rescue operation was immediately launched. While residents managed to pull out two victims, the Kano State Fire Service’s team recovered the remaining two. Sadly, all were unconscious upon retrieval and later declared dead.
The names of the deceased were provided as Bashir Sani, aged 28, Nasirudden Tasi’u, 25, Usman Ubale, 26, and Yakubu Muhammed, 22. Their bodies were handed over to SP Abdulkadir Albasu of the Dawanau Police Division for further action.
Abdullahi attributed the tragedy to “local swimming in a blocked sewer,” a consequence of the waterway obstruction caused by the railway works.
Okay.ng reports that this incident highlights the dangers posed by unattended construction blockades in residential areas, raising urgent calls for improved safety measures around such sites.
