ONE of the buses conveying stranded Nigerians from Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, to Port Sudan where they will move into Saudi Arabia caught fire in the early hours of Monday.
Twenty-six buses conveying the stranded Nigerians left Al Razi around 12am on Monday for Port Sudan.
“One of the buses conveying some 50 Nigerian students from Sudan with a tag number (Katsina 1) heading to Port Sudan as part of the second batch of FGN evacuation got damaged due to excessive heat from one of the vehicle’s tyres.
“Dr Hashim Idris Na’Allah, the chairman of the Nigerian Elders’ Forum in Sudan, was one of the passengers in the said bus, which contained a total of 50 students (49 males, 1 female).
“The incident happened around 2:30am Sudan time.
“The driver stopped the bus near an RSF checkpoint, just before the tire exploded causing a fire to start.
“All the passengers escaped unhurt.
“Forty out of the 50 passengers were later distributed to the other buses evacuating the students, while the remaining passengers spent the night where the incident happened alongside the driver at the RSF checkpoint.
“The students said the RSF really did their possible best to help the passengers and offered them with cups of tea in the morning before they left,” Sani Aliyu who is in Sudan disclosed.
This newspaper gathered that they have continued their journey to Port Sudan.
Over 1000 Nigerians are being evacuated through the Port Sudan route following the difficulties faced in getting the first batch of evacuees across the Egypt borders.
The stranded Nigerians have spent five days at the borders as the Egyptian officials denied them access into the country where flights are already waiting to airlift them to Nigeria.
Speaking to News Point Nigeria, the Head, Press Unit, NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel said, the stranded Nigerians moving to Port Sudan will actually be airlifted from there not Saudi Arabia. Landing permit is being obtained for Airpeace to fly them from Port Sudan.