A day after Kano residents prayed for rain, four persons have been confirmed dead and seven others injured following a three-storey building collapse at Abedi area of Sabon Gari, in Fagge local government area of Kano State, following a heavy downpour.
The spokespersons of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif, and the National Emergency Management Agency, Umar Madigawa, confirmed the incident to LEADERSHIP, saying the building collapsed on Sunday evening after a heavy downpour.
They said the victims included construction workers and passersby who got trapped in an uncompleted structure while taking shelter during the rainfall.
The chairman of the council, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, said the decision was taken due to the inadequate rainfall experienced so far, even as the rainy season has progressed significantly.
According to Madigawa, the Kano operation office received a distress alert aabout the sad incident at 6:49 p.m. and immediately activated its Search and Rescue(SAR) response, mobilising a response team in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
He noted that as of 11:30 a.m. on Monday, 11 victims have been rescued – four deaths and seven alive. He pointed out that they have been evacuated to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital for medical attention.
He also added that the emergency responders are intensifying their efforts to safely reach others who may be trapped in the rubble.
The sad incident has sparked concerns among residents following the recent prayers held for rain in the state.
LEADERSHIP reported that the Kano State Council of Ulamas last Saturday organised a special prayer to seek divine intervention for adequate rainfall in the state. A large crowd of residents, including prominent clerics, government officials, and respected community leaders, were in attendance.
A resident of Jaba, in Kano, Mallam Kabiru Baba, expressed shock over the sad incident, noting that, as a farmer who prays for adequate rainfall, he didn’t pray for a disaster.
However, he called on residents to pray against any disaster that could cause the loss of properties and lives.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the Juma’at Imams Council, Muhammad Nasir Adam, urged Islamic clerics and the public to continue to pray for a full and blessed rainfall.
The clergy spoke in a telephone conversation with our correspondent.
He said that just like a person who desires to have children or money, one should always pray to have useful ones. “As such, the rain prayer should be—a prayer that will protect all from windstorms, lightning, and rainstorms and, in the end, a bumper harvest”, he said.
He, however, sympathised with the victims of the deceased and prayed for the swift recovery of those hospitalised, adding that residents should continue to have the fear of God and not relent in giving alms.
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