Abuja, Nigeria – A bus left a bridge in the northern state of Nigeria de Kano, killing at least 22 athletes returning home from a sports festival and making several other passengers, said the state governor.
The cause of the accident, which occurred on Saturday, was not immediately known. The athletes had participated in the Nigerian National Sports Festival in the southern state of Ogun in last week.
The driver seemed to lose control of the bus and the vehicle, with more than 30 passengers, plunged from the Chiromawa bridge on the Kano-Zaria motorway, according to Abba Kabir Yusuf, the governor of Kano.
Survivors of the accident were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Yusuf said the athletes, who were accompanied by their coaches and their sports managers, represented Kano at the Sports Festival, a major multi-sport event which brought together athletes from the 35 states of the country every two years.
The governor said a day of mourning for the state on Monday. The families of the victims must receive 1 million Nairas (around $ 630) and food supplies as support, said Kano vice-governor, Amicinu Gwarzo.
Road accidents are frequent in the most populous country in Africa, partly due to poor road conditions and the application of lax traffic laws.
In March, At least six people died Near the capital of Nigeria d’Abuja after a trailer crashed into parked vehicles and caught fire.