Flood kills 7 in Kano

No fewer than six persons were feared dead while several others were injured in Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State yesterday morning, following the collapse of a number of houses as a result of a torrential downpour that fell all through the night.

In all, about 27 houses collapsed leading to the displacement of about 300 persons. The injured persons, it was gathered, were rushed to the Murtala Mohammed Hospital and Nassarawa Hospital. According to the Director of Operation of the state Fire Service, Alhaji Kassim Musa, six persons died, 150 were rescued while 27 houses were destroyed in the devastating tragedy.

He blamed the tragedy on the collapse of a badly managed gutter, which connected Kwarin Gogau and Fagge area in the metropolis. Alhaji Kassim said they sent their personnel to the scene of the incidence after receiving a distress call, adding that they had a challenging time rescuing those trapped in the flood. Also, the downpour in Lagos caused tragedy as erosion killed a young man at Alhaja Bus Stop, Idimu, opposite NIPCO filling station in Alimosho Local Government Area.

The man, whose name was given as Kabiru, was later found dead by the Lagos State Fire Service crew.
He was said to have tried to be his brother’s keeper by rescuing a motorbike popularly known as Okada that fell into a gulley. According to an eyewitness, who prefers anonymity, the Okada rider parked the bike by the road side waiting for the rain to stop, but his bike fell into a deep gutter-like carnal.

To his surprise, Kabiru, a 30-year-old, who was standing by the side of the gutter, decided to rescue the bike from the gutter. The owner of the bike reportedly told him to leave it that he will retrieve it himself, after the rain.
Daily Sun gathered that Kabiru was adamant and it was in that instance that a fast moving car splashed water on Kabiru and while trying to escape, he fell inside the gutter and immediately he was drowned.

About 20 minutes later, Lagos State Fire Service with registration number LA 148A40, came to the scene of the incident following a disress call of sympathizers and swung into action and the corpse was found about two kilometers away.

Kabiru, who lost his father last year, was a native of Ogun State.
The father of one of the deceased persons in Kano, Alhaji Abbas Ado said: “When the water first stormed the downstairs of my house, we transferred the children to the upstairs, but minutes later, the building crave in and two of my children died.” He said he is currently squatting in a neighbour’s house even as he declared that he had lost everything to the flood.

He appealed to the state government to come to his aid. Those who were reported dead were Hadiza Labaran, Binta Labaran, Bashir Labaran, Aisha Labaran, Abubakar Abbas and Yusuf Abbas. There were also reports of flood in some other areas of the state capital such as Badawa and Kurna Quarters, but the extent of destruction could not be ascertained as at press time.