Tragedy struck in Zangon Kaya, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, as four young men drowned in a blocked waterway on Friday.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi. He said the victims were trapped in a drainage channel that had become flooded due to obstruction caused by ongoing railway construction in the area.
“We received a distress call at around 1:48 p.m. from one Rabiu Yusif, reporting that four people had fallen into a blocked waterway,” Abdullahi stated.
According to him, two of the victims had entered the flooded channel to swim but were quickly trapped. Two others who attempted to rescue them also got stuck in the same drain.
The fire service promptly dispatched a rescue team to the scene. With assistance from local residents, two of the victims were pulled out, while the team recovered the other two.
Unfortunately, all four were found unconscious and were later confirmed dead.
The victims were identified as Bashir Sani (28), Nasirudden Tasi’u (25), Usman Ubale (26), and Yakubu Muhammed (22). Their remains were handed over to the Dawanau Police Division.
Abdullahi blamed the incident on unsafe swimming practices in a blocked drainage system and urged the public to avoid such hazardous areas, especially during the rainy season.
