Five Die in Dual Kano Building Collapses

​Tragedy struck Kano State on Saturday as five people lost their lives and several others sustained injuries following two separate building collapses within the Kumbotso and Fagge local government areas.

​According to the Kano State Fire Service, the incidents occurred just minutes apart during a heavy weekend downpour. Emergency responders received the first distress call at approximately 2:34 p.m. regarding a 50 by 50-foot structure under construction near the Salbas Filling Station in Gaida, Kumbotso LGA. The incomplete building caved in on six construction workers. While 17-year-old Muhammad Hassan and 19-year-old Khalid Abubakar were rescued alive, four other workers—Sunusi Surajo (18), Bashir Ibrahim (20), Ibrahim Ibrahim (25), and Abubakar (30)—were pulled from the rubble unconscious and later pronounced dead at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.

​Barely six minutes later, at 2:40 p.m., a second disaster struck behind a primary school in Kurna, Fagge LGA, where an Islamiyya school building (Khadija Idris Bala) collapsed. The structure trapped nine students aged between 12 and 15. Fast action by neighborhood residents and local fire stations enabled the rescue of eight students. However, a 14-year-old girl, Khadija Muhammad, was retrieved unconscious and later confirmed dead. The survivors were subsequently reunited with the school headmaster, Muhammad Gambo Usman.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Reacting to the twin disasters, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, speaking on behalf of the Director, Sani Anas, expressed deep concern over structural safety. The agency has launched full-scale investigations into both incidents.

​With the ongoing rainy season posing heightened risks to structural integrity, the Fire Service has urgently called on property owners, developers, and construction contractors to strictly adhere to approved building codes, employ certified professionals, and prioritize safety measures to forestall further avoidable loss of lives.