A 45-year-old man, Yusuf Usman, has died after climbing into a refuse-filled well in Kwa Town, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, in an attempt to retrieve a mobile phone.
The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Saminu Abdullahi.
According to the statement, the agency received a distress call at about 11:13 a.m. from a staff member, Kabiru Tata, alerting them that a man had become trapped inside a well.
Firefighters were immediately deployed to the location, where they found the victim stuck in the confined space.
The Fire Service said Usman had entered the well to recover a phone that had fallen inside but was unable to come out.
He was later pulled out unconscious by rescue personnel and subsequently confirmed dead, with suspected oxygen shortage and heat inside the well cited as the cause.
His remains were handed over to the Ward Head of Kwa Town, Alhaji Muktar.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the incident occurred during the attempt to retrieve the phone.
Reacting, the Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Alhaji Sani Anas, advised residents to take safety precautions around wells and similar confined spaces.
He urged communities to ensure that wells are properly covered or sealed and warned against entering such spaces without proper safety measures or professional assistance to avoid similar tragedies.
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