A 45-year-old father and his 15-year-old daughter have died after falling into an abandoned dry well in Yancibi Village, Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The victims were identified as Abubakar Abdullahi and his daughter, Fiddausi Abubakar.
The tragedy occurred on Tuesday evening when the teenager reportedly fell into the disused well. Her father was said to have entered the well in an attempt to rescue her but became trapped as well.
The Kano State Fire Service said its Tsanyawa Division received a distress call about the incident on 21 July and immediately mobilised firefighters to the scene.
However, the rescue operation could not be completed that night due to darkness and the difficult conditions surrounding the well.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Fire Service, Saminu Yusif Abdullahi, said an emergency rescue team was later deployed from the agency’s headquarters to assist with the operation.
“Upon arrival, the team successfully recovered both victims from the well. They were rescued unconscious and were later confirmed dead,” the statement said.
The bodies were subsequently handed over to the Village Head of Yancibi, Shamsu Sani, for burial arrangements.
The Fire Service’s preliminary findings indicated that Fiddausi accidentally fell into the abandoned well before her father attempted to save her but was unable to escape.
“The father attempted to rescue his daughter but was also unable to escape, resulting in the tragic loss of both lives,” the statement added.
The Kano State Fire Service sympathised with the bereaved family and urged residents to avoid entering wells without appropriate rescue equipment and the assistance of trained emergency personnel.
