22 athletes who were returning from a national sports event have been killed in a bus crash in Kano, Nigeria, according to the state governor.
Kano Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf reported to The Associated Press that the bus, which was said to have more than 30 passengers, had reportedly slammed into the Chiromawa Bridge on the Kano-Zaria expressway on Saturday.
Although it was unknown what caused the accident, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) claimed it “could have happened as a result of fatigue and excessive speed” following a lengthy overnight trip.
The crash’s survivors were treated at a nearby hospital.
The athletes were competing in Kano State at the Nigerian National Sports Festival, which is located about 1, 000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Ogun State, according to Yusuf, who was accompanied by their coaches and sporting officials.
He proclaimed Monday a state’s day of mourning. According to his deputy, Aminu Gwarzo, the victims’ families would receive a million naira (roughly $630) and food as support.
According to the report from the Nigerian daily The Guardian, the National Association of Nigerian Students claimed that the “heartbreaking” incident had “cast a shadow of grief over the entire country, especially the youth and sports communities.”
In Africa’s most populous nation, road accidents are frequent, in part due to poor road conditions and lax traffic enforcement.
At least six people died in March near Abuja, the capital, after a trailer slammed into parked cars and caught fire.
According to FRSC data, Nigeria recorded 9, 570 road accidents last year that resulted in 5, 421 fatalities.
Every two years, athletes from the nation’s 35 states compete in the Nigerian National Sports Festival.
Source: Aljazeera
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