A devastating road accident has claimed the lives of at least 20 athletes from Kano State who were returning from the just-concluded 2025 National Sports Festival, popularly known as the Gateway Games, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The tragic incident occurred on Saturday at Dakatsalle Bridge in the Kura Local Government Area of Kano State. The athletes were travelling in a bus that reportedly plunged off the bridge, leading to the fatal crash.
Confirming the heartbreaking development, the Chairman of the Kano State Sports Commission, Umar Fagge, revealed that the vehicle was carrying 30 athletes when the accident occurred.
"As I am talking to you now, we have counted 19 dead bodies," Fagge stated somberly, adding that several others sustained various degrees of injuries.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident site quickly turned chaotic as emergency responders and locals rushed to rescue the survivors and retrieve the bodies of the deceased.
Ado Salisu, a former Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), said that some of the victims were still being taken to the Kura General Hospital for treatment and further identification.
The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kano, Abdullahi Labaran, also confirmed the crash but said the agency could not yet confirm the exact number of casualties and injured persons.
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