By Ammar M. Rajab Calamity struck in Zaria, Kaduna State when an electric power accident killed over 10 people, while many were...
By Ammar M. Rajab
Calamity struck in Zaria, Kaduna State when an electric power accident killed over 10 people, while many were injured on Wednesday. Some people in the area described the incident as neglect of one's duty led to the death of not fewer than 11 people.
Residents of the area said that the incident happened on Wednesday night when electricity was restored in the area.
Confirming the incident; the Zaria office of the Kaduna State Fire Service said the 11 people who died were from communities around the Gwargwaje area of Zaria Local Government Area, adding that a house was burnt and some business premises were destroyed in the fire incident.
The incident has put the people of Gwargwaje in a state of grief. Many houses were commiserating the demise of their wives, children, and parents.
Leader of the community, Alhaji Bature Aliyu told journalists that the fire affected all the houses in the 3 communities, the Police Barracks, the New Layout Unguwar Major Aliyu, and the New Kauran Juli layout.
While narrating what happened, He said, ”electricity was restored late in the night with full force, which caught fire that spread to the communities. All the transformers, high tension, and service lines were on fire. Anywhere you touched was shocking until when the power was cut off from the source.”
Due to the high voltage of the electricity melted lots of wires and burned many houses according to our sources.
In an attempt to defend themselves, Kaduna Electric said preliminary investigation revealed that the accident occurred as a result of high tension line snapping on to low tension line which resulted in a voltage supply outside limits. "the source feeder was immediately opened on emergency to avoid further damage".
Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Head of corporate communications explained in a letter released on Wednesday, that there were deeply saddened by the incident; "Kaduna Electric is deeply saddened by the unfortunate accident at about 0142hrs today (Wednesday), affecting customers on our Police Barracks Distribution Transformer in Gwargwaje, Zaria".
The letter further added that they would continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate the facts of this regrettable accident.
"We are grateful to His Royal Highness, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau for his support to all in managing the effects of the incident,” they said.
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