A fire outbreak at the Tsangaya school (Almajiri school) in Zamfara state has killed no fewer than 17 children and injured 15 students.
The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the death of the 17 Almajiris and 15 others seriously injured in the devastating inferno.
The state Commissioner for Police, Mohammed Shehu Dalijan, stated that the inferno broke out around 2:00 AM on Wednesday due to burning corn stalks, engulfing the shelter where the pupils were asleep.
“We received the sad incident that some Almajiri pupils have lost their lives in the inferno while they were asleep,” he said.
The teacher in charge of the Almajiris, Malam Aliyu Abubakar Khalifa, said the inferno started past midnight but was quenched by the people of the area.
He said, “I suddenly heard shouts of ‘fire!’ and rushed outside to find about 30 pupils struggling to escape.
“All efforts by the firefighters to control the blaze proved abortive because they had no functional equipment,” said Khalifa.
He elucidated that the local volunteers and police officers worked together to contain the blaze and rescued some of the affected pupils.
According to him, out of approximately 100 Almajiri pupils in the hall, 17 were burnt to ashes, while 15 others sustained injuries.
“It is a great loss, but we accept it as the will of Allah,” he said.
The Zamfara State Fire Service confirmed the incident through Muhammad Gakadi, the Principal Fire Superintendent.
Galadi confirmed the casualties and attributed the delay in fighting the inferno to technical issues with their firefighting equipment.
