Hussaini Ibrahim 
KANO, Nigeria – Two teenagers have drowned after falling into an open water body while trying to escape suspected phone snatchers in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, authorities say.
The victims, Sadiq Isyaku and Auwal Isyaku, both aged 18, died after the incident on Friday at about 4:04 p.m. at Ring Road Kureken Sani, according to the Kano State Fire Service.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the agency’s Public Relations Officer ACFO Saminu Yusif Abdullahi says the emergency call was received from a resident identified as Muhd Abba, who alerted the control room.
“Upon receiving the call, a rescue team from the service headquarters was immediately mobilised to the scene,” Abdullahi says.
He explains that rescuers found the two youths unconscious after they fell into the water body while trying to evade suspected attackers.
“They were retrieved from the pond and rushed for attention but were later confirmed dead,” Abdullahi says.
The victims’ bodies were handed over to their father, Ibrahim Shehu, a resident of Unguwa Uku Quarters.
Preliminary investigations suggest the teenagers accidentally fell into the water while fleeing the suspected phone snatchers.
Meanwhile, the fire service confirms another rescue operation in Kano Municipal Local Government Area, where a 40-year-old man, Shitu Balarabe, fell into a well at Durumin Zungura in the Assahabul Khahafi area.
Emergency responders rescued the victim alive and handed him over to his brother, Jamilu Balarabe.
The fire service urges residents to secure wells with protective covers and keep children away from open water bodies to prevent similar tragedies.
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Mirian Gom 
Chukwu Obinna 
Otamere Gladness 