Three teenagers have reportedly died after being buried alive with sand in Rigasa Community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The incident, which has created confusion in the community, occurred around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. It also has two other teenagers rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
All efforts to rescue the victims, who were buried in the sand, failed. Daily Trust gathered that the five children were trying to dig a hole to remove an iron buried beneath the earth at a construction site.
Residents said two of the children died on the spot while the other died few hours after being rescued.
Chief Imam of Kalshen Kwalta Juma’at Mosque, Malam Jamilu, who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, said he performed the funeral on the victims. He described the tragedy as very sad, saying one of the victims, 16-year-old Zahradeen was the son of his neighbour.
“Yes, the victims were three in number and they were of 12-16 years of age. One of the victims is the son of my neighbour. He is called Zahradeen. I performed their funeral prayers.
“They went to a construction site where the state government is constructing a bridge, digging to remove irons beneath the earth just like the local miners are doing when the sand fell on them and were buried alive,” he said.
It was further gathered that a passerby saw what happened and raised the alarm but all effort to rescue them failed because there were no equipment to pack the sand.
