PAUL OMOKUVIE, Bauchi
The Vice-Chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Professor Mohammed Abdulaziz, has confirmed the death of four students in the collapsed metallic bridge incident that occurred on the Gubi campus of the institution on Monday.
The incident was as a result of a heavy downpour in the state which lasted for several hours leading to the collapsed on the bridge at about 11: 45 pm
Abdullazeez, who spoke to journalists at a press conference on Tuesday in Bauchi, said that four students had been killed while seven students were injured.
He said that the full details of the incident were still being awaited, stating that the management had closed down the school in honour of the deceased.
He said: “I regret to announce the death of four of our students on August 5, 2019. The unfortunate incident that led to the demise of the students occurred late last night (Monday), at the Gubi campus of the university.
“While full details of the occurrence are being awaited, the university senate, at an emergency meeting this morning, (August 6, 2019) has decided to close the university in honour of the students. We closed down the school because we are mourning. The reopening date has been fixed for Tuesday, August 19, 2019.”
He said the deceased were three males and one female.
Speaking on the cause of the incident, the vice-chancellor, who was accompanied to the press conference by top management staff said: “For now, we learnt that while the students were returning to their hostels in the amid the rain last night, the connecting bridge between their reading area and their hostel collapsed and the four students drowned.”
Abdullazeez who was full of emotions while speaking, said that the injured were currently receiving treatment at the university medical centre.
He said that rescue operations were currently underway to recover those missing. The students were seen evacuating their hostels while this story was being filed.