Four persons have been confirmed dead after a Golf Wagon vehicle plunged into Tomas Dam in the Danbatta Local Government Area of Kano State on Tuesday evening.
The Kano State Fire Service disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Public Relations Officer of the agency, ACFO Saminu Abdullahi.
According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 7:10pm when the Danbatta Fire Service Division received a distress call from a resident identified as Suleman.
Abdullahi said the vehicle, with an unknown registration number, was travelling from Kano to Roni in Jigawa State when it crashed into the dam.
It added that 10 persons were involved in the accident.
“Firefighters from the Danbatta Fire Station promptly responded to the scene and successfully extricated all the victims,” the statement said.
The fire service noted that four victims were rescued unconscious but were later confirmed dead.
The deceased were identified as Shamsiya Miko, aged about 35 years, and Fatima Danlami, aged about 40 years, while the identities of two other victims were yet to be confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
According to Abdullahi, all the victims were evacuated and taken to the Danbatta General Hospital for medical attention and other necessary procedures.
Preliminary investigations by the agency indicated that the accident was caused by a burst tyre.
“The incident involved 10 persons, and our personnel responded immediately after receiving the distress call,” the statement added.
The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Sani Anas, urged motorists to exercise caution while driving, especially on highways and near waterways.
“We are appealing to drivers to always drive carefully and responsibly to avoid needless loss of lives,” he said.
He also called on relevant authorities to urgently repair the Tomas Dam embankment to prevent future tragedies.
“There is an urgent need for authorities concerned to repair the Tomas Dam embankment in order to safeguard lives and property,” Anas added.
On Monday, two people lost their lives in a road traffic crash involving a trailer and a Toyota Corolla in the Kwang community in the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Five persons were involved in the crash.
