The Jigawa State Police Command has confirmed the death of four passengers and injuries to ten others after a bus caught fire in Gwaram Local Government Area.
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Lawan Shiisu, the command’s spokesperson, stated on Sunday that the incident occurred on Saturday around 4 p.m. when a bus transporting 44 passengers from Zaki LGA in Bauchi State to Gwaram was engulfed in flames.
The fire reportedly started when the exhaust pipe of the Hummer bus, with registration number ZAK 382 XA, made contact with a mattress tied to the rear of the vehicle near Government Girls Unity Secondary School, Gwaram. The vehicle was carrying 25 adults and 19 children when the fire broke out.
Four passengers, identified as Zuwairah Hassan, 40, Fatima Hassan, 5, Iyatale Hassan, 3, and Halima Muhammad, 10, all from Saldiga village in Zaki LGA, lost their lives in the incident. Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Ten other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were taken to Gwaram Cottage Hospital for treatment. The remains of the deceased were later released to their families for burial after medical confirmation.
