Man buried alive in Jigawa landslide

A middle aged man identified as Umar Sale was on Tuesday buried alive by a landslide in the Taura local government area of Jigawa State.

The spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state, Adamu Shehu, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday in Dutse, said it occurred while the deceased was evacuating sand in a burrow pit at Majiya town.

Shehu said the victim, a father of three, was digging the sand from the pit to refurbish his mud house which had earlier been destroyed by a heavy downpour when the sand above the pit slid and buried him alive.

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He said: “The victim’s first cry for help was heard by some people farming around the area who rushed to his rescue.

“Unfortunately, he died on the spot because of the weight of the sand and his inability to breathe.

“His body was recovered and thereafter released to his family for proper burial.

“Investigation revealed that similar cases were recorded in the past and residents of the community were therefore advised to refrain from extracting or digging sand from the ditch.”

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