22 pupils on excursion die in Kano auto crash

Twenty-two secondary school pupils died in an accident yesterday between Maitama Sule College and Dudduru village in Gaya town, about 65 kilometers from Kano. The auto crash involved a truck and an 18-passenger bus conveying the pupils who were going on an excursion in Kano.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Ibrahim Adamu, told The Guardian that the accident, which occurred around 11:00 a.m., involved 26 persons. He said the bus had a head-on collision with the truck conveying tomatoes while they were both trying to avoid a pothole.

The bodies of the dead pupils as well as those who were injured have been taken to Gaya General Hospital.“The bus which was coming from the other side towards Kano was on high speed on the road which is under construction. Perhaps the bus driver lost control and collided with the truck that was coming from the opposite direction. We counted 26 persons who died,” Adamu said.
 
The Guardian learnt that the pupils, who were on their way to visit a radio station in Kano, were coming from Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The Kano State Police Command confirmed the incident but faulted the casualty figure given by Adamu.

“The police are already attending to the situation. Let me officially inform you that 22 passengers died in the crash,” the spokesman of the police command, Magaji Musa Majia, said. He did not specify whether the victims included any teacher.