Four young men have died after drowning in a blocked waterway at Zangon Kaya in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday by its Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi.
He said the tragedy occurred Friday afternoon.
According to Abdullahi, the fire service received a distress call around 1:48 p.m. from one Rabiu Yusif, reporting that four individuals had fallen into a water channel that had become clogged due to ongoing railway construction in the area.
“Two of the victims initially entered the blocked drainage to swim but became trapped.
A third person jumped in to rescue them but also got stuck. The fourth person, attempting to help the others, suffered the same fate,” Abdullahi said.
Rescue teams arrived swiftly, and with the help of local residents, recovered all four victims.
However, they were found unconscious and later confirmed dead.
The deceased have been identified as Bashir Sani (28), Nasirudden Tasi’u (25), Usman Ubale (26), and Yakubu Muhammed (22). Their bodies were handed over to SP Abdulkadir Albasu of the Dawanau Police Division.
Abdullahi said the tragic deaths were caused by “local swimming in a blocked sewer,” and he urged residents to avoid swimming in such hazardous areas.