By Ere-ebi Agedah
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has expressed shock at the gas cylinder explosion which left many people dead at Aba Road in Sabon Gari area of Kano state.
The National Emergency Management Agency under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, announced that a building also collapsed as a result of the explosion while nine dead bodies have so far been recovered from the rubbles of the collapsed building close to the explosion site.
In a statement by her SA Media, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, the Minister also commiserated with the families of the victims and the Kano state government over the tragedy, describing it as painful and calamitous.
“This is a tragedy. A gas explosion, a collapsed building, death of many victims and persons still trapped in the rubbles… this is a very sad incident. I sympathize with the families of the dead and the government of Kano state.
“The spate of explosions in the country recently is alarming and we call on the appropriate authorities to do something quickly to stop further explosions and building collapse in the country”.
The Director General of NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed has since mobilized excavators and is currently coordinating rescue operations at the site of the incident with the State SEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross, the Police, Civil Défense Corps and other disaster responders to ensure that victims trapped in the rubbles are rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment.
