A night fire in a girls secondary school has left several students dead and many more injured in Kano state.
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At least seven students have died, with 21 others injured in a night fire at Government Girls Secondary School, Jogana, 20 kilometers from the city of Kano.
Hospital and school officials confirmed the deaths of the seven female students, saying their bodies were deposited at Murtala Mohammed Specialists Hospital.
According to Premium Times, a source at the school revealed that the fire occurred at the biggest hostel of the school when the students were sleeping, and that the cause of the fire was still not known.
The Executive Secretary of Secondary Schools Management Board, Husaini Ganduje, also confirmed death of seven students in the fire, saying those who sustained injuries were currently receiving treatment.
A statement Sunday night by Usman Bello, the director of press to the deputy governor, Hafiz Abubakar, said the fire had been put under control in the night, and the affected students were rushed to hospital.
The statement said: “Firemen have quenched the fire that broke out at the hostel of the Government Girls Secondary School Jogana.
“The students were evacuated to their classes and those affected were rushed to Gezawa and Sir Sanusi Hospital.
“The special adviser to the governor on education Dr. Bakari Ado Hussaini and management of Kano State Senior Secondary Schools all mobilized to the school and were coordinating with the state deputy governor and commissioner of Education Prof. Hafiz Abubakar.
“The commissioner of health has also mobilized health personnel to attend to the victims of the incident,”
Another source at the emergency unit of Murtala Mohammed Hospital disclosed that the students died of suffocation and stampede, not burns.