20 Kano athletes die in road crash while returning from Gateway Games

No fewer than 20 athletes from the Kano Contingent have been confirmed dead following a ghastly motor accident at Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government area of Kano State.

According to reports, the athletes were returning from the recently concluded National Sports Festival held in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.

Umar Fagge, Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, who confirmed the incident, said many other athletes sustained various degrees of injuries following the fatal accident on Saturday.

He explained that the bus conveying 30 athletes fell from the bridge, leading to the death of 20 athletes.

“As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies,” Fagge said.

Similarly, Ado Salisu, a former vice president of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), said victims were still being conveyed to Kura General Hospital.

Abdullahi Labaran, Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Kano Sector Command, also confirmed the accident.

He, however, said that he could not confirm the number of deaths and injured people.

“We just received the report of the accident, so I cannot confirm the exact number of casualties at the moment,” he stated.