A middle-aged man, Malam Umar, and his teenage son, Abubakar, died inside a well they were digging at Gidan-Filani village, near Wamakko in Sokoto State, on Wednesday.

An eye-witness told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Wamakko on Thursday, that the duo had dug up to nine metres when the well suddenly collapsed on Abubakar, who was inside.

The witness said that a distraught Umar jumped into the well to rescue his son, but that none of them came out alive.

Alhaji Abu Maitifas, Secretary, Tippers Drivers Association, (Sokoto Chapter), who visited the scene of the incident, also told NAN that their bodies were later retrieved by personnel of the Sokoto State Fire Service.

He said that the two men, who hailed from Lokobi village in Wamakko Local Government, had been buried.

The Director-General of the Fire Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Dingyadi, confirmed the incident, and described it as “unfortunate”.(NAN)