Stranded Nigerians Survive Bus Fire While Evacuating from Sudan to Saudi Arabia

Key Highlights:

• A bus conveying stranded Nigerians from Khartoum to Port Sudan caught fire on Monday morning.
• The bus was part of the second batch of 26 buses conveying Nigerians evacuating from Sudan to Saudi Arabia.
• The incident occurred due to excessive heat from the bus tire, but all 50 students onboard escaped unhurt.

In the early hours of Monday, one of the buses conveying stranded Nigerians from Khartoum, Sudan, to Port Sudan caught fire, according to reports. The bus was part of the second batch of 26 buses conveying Nigerians who were stranded in Sudan and were being evacuated to Saudi Arabia. Hashim Na’Allah, the Chairman of Nigerians Elders’ Forum in Sudan, confirmed that the bus had 50 students on board. However, no injuries or deaths were reported.

According to Na’Allah, the incident occurred around 2:30 am Sudan time due to excessive heat from one of the vehicle’s tires. The driver stopped the bus near a checkpoint, just before the tire exploded, causing a fire to start. The passengers escaped unhurt, and 40 out of the 50 students were distributed to other buses evacuating the students, while the remaining passengers spent the night at the checkpoint alongside the driver.

The stranded Nigerians expressed their appreciation to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their prompt response and assistance. The RSF offered them cups of tea in the morning before they continued the journey. The evacuation is part of the federal government’s efforts to bring back Nigerians stranded in different parts of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.