Katsina  – No fewer than 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.

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 heavy 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 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 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 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.

Malam Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, sttae Ministry for Works and Housing and an official of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) 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. (NAN)

Lilimax: ...But the same thread on the FP is a closed thread?
Or is it from me?
What is happening moderator or is it the in thing?
Just asking?

Osama10:

Moderator don take shekpe this afternoon.

3ace: RIP to the dead. Reason why I hate night travels. The accidents could have been averted if there was no darkness. Off topic, @seun, we talk say make you give us dislike button,a page for favourite topics for easier reference e.t.c, u dey give us "Google it" when most of us already have it in our browser. Wetin we wan use am do again? Abeg, take time o.

Lilimax: ...But the same thread on the FP is a closed thread?
Or is it from me?
What is happening moderator or is it the in -thing?
Just asking?

The villagers said efforts made to alert the bus driver was to no avail as he was on high speed.

eddiebruk: See how thin the Tar or whatever they used on that road is, with so much red Mold, when the Water absorbs the Mold the Tin Tar of course cannot stand the weight of Vehicles..so what were they expecting when they are actually the ones who gave such contracts to themselves so that after such casualties they will have another opportunity of re-awarding the contract to themselves again.

3ace: The thread on the FrontPage shouldn't be there in the first place because it was 6 minutes later than this one. I guess the moderators mistakenly/deliberately moved Tolexander's thread to FrontPage.

iheneme:
The villagers could have done better by flagging down vehicles with tree branches at least 200mtrs from the spot, given the speed of vehicles. Any driver who sees large number of people doing this should think twice. What an avoidable and painful loss!!!

hariorh:


Don't know why they didn't give you the contract to build the bridge sef... Judgment awaits our leaders and some of their supporters on NL!

eddiebruk: See how thin the Tar or whatever they used on that road is, with so much red Mold, when the Water absorbs the Mold the Tin Tar of course cannot stand the weight of Vehicles..so what were they expecting when they are actually the ones who gave such contracts to themselves so that after such casualties they will have another opportunity of re-awarding the contract to themselves again.

checkfidel:
I can see that you know nothing about what you are saying, why then are you exposing your ignorance.