No fewer than three persons have been reportedly killed after a gas explosion on Tuesday morning hit the commercial city of Kano, Kano State.
The incident which happened around Sabongari in Fagge Local Government Area of the state saw many school children being trapped.
Details of the incident are still sketchy, but Daily Trust reports that an explosive device went off in the early hours of the day.
However, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Dikko, while confirming the explosion but said it was not a bomb blast
It was gathered that officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were seen evacuating victims and remains of dead persons from the scene of the incident.
A welder in front of Winners Schools, Kano, which is adjacent the scene, is reported to be among the casualties.
Kano State Commissioner of Police CP Sama’ila Dikko, attributed the incident to a gas cylinder explosion.
“The seller’s shop is on the ground floor of the building where the school is located. So, when the cylinder exploded, it brought down the building and the pupils got injured. There wasn’t a bomb blast,” he told journalists.
Commenting on the incident, the Kano state government debunked the reports that the explosion occurred in a school.
The state commissioner for information, Malam Muhammad Garba said the incident happened at an animal feed store opposite the school along Aba Road, Sabon Gari.
He said while the cause of the explosion and the damage it had done is yet to be officially ascertained, investigation has since commenced to determine the cause, impact and measures to be taken.
Malam Garba called on the people in the state, particularly those living in the area where the incident occurred, to remain calm while government in collaboration with relevant agencies are working on the matter.
The commissioner assured that government would keep the public abreast on any development and warned people to desist from spreading unsubstantiated news.
