The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has launched an initial assessment to evaluate the financial impact of the fire that devastated the Kara Yan Katako market on Wednesday.
Mr. Mustapha Umar, the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at SEMA, shared the update while speaking to journalists in Sokoto on Thursday. He explained that a comprehensive damage assessment would be conducted on Friday to provide a more accurate estimate of the losses and to mobilize support for the affected traders.
Umar added that the management of Kara market was unable to immediately calculate the full financial impact of the disaster.
Earlier, the Chairman of the market, Alhaji Rilwanu Bello, referred to the incident as catastrophic, confirming that the losses were substantial.
He also mentioned that local emergency teams faced significant challenges in containing the blaze.
The fire, which began around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, resulted in the destruction of over 500 shops, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
