No fewer than nine persons were killed, yesterday, as gas explosion rocked the Sabon Gari area of Kano, but the police confirmed four.
Although initial report said the explosion took place in a primary school in the area, Kano State government said the explosion, which affected buildings around the area, including a primary school, was from an animal food shop opposite the school, along Aba road.
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, which also corroborated police account that the explosion was caused by a gas explosion, said its personnel recovered nine bodies from the scene of the incident, thus disputing claims by the police.
Confirming the figure in a statement issued hours after the incident that occurred in the morning, NEMA’s spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, revealed that the Director-General of the agency, Mustapha Ahmed, was at the site of the incident and coordinated rescue operations.
The statement reads: “Nine dead bodies have been recovered so far from the rubbles of a collapsed building beside a primary school, following explosions from gas cylinders at Aba Road, in Sabon Gari area of Kano.
“Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, was at the site of the incident and coordinated the rescue operations. He mobilised excavators being used for the rescue operations and said NEMA team will ensure complete removal of the rubbles to retrieve all trapped persons.
“Furthermore, the DG instructed the NEMA rescue team to remain at the site until conclusion of the rescue and to work together with security agencies and other response organisations present at the location.
“NEMA is currently coordinating the rescue operations involving members of Nigerian Red Cross, military, the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Kano SEMA.”
However, the state police command had confirmed the killing of four persons by the gas explosion.“Mr Samaila Dikko, the state Commissioner of Police, who stated this in a radio and television broadcast, said the gas exploded at a welding point near a primary school on Aba Road in Sabon Gari, Kano.“He said rescue workers were making efforts to discover people trapped at the building where the explosion occurred.“Dikko urged residents of the state to remain calm, saying the situation was under control.
