08 February 2008
KENYA : Lucky Kenyan Players Escape U.S. Tornado
Philip Onyango
Nairobi
Kenya women's national basketball team players, Josephine Achieng Owino, Beatrice Awino Oyenje and Zainab Sarah Chan, have been evacuated to safety after their campus was destroyed by a tornado on Tuesday evening.
The three are students at Union University in Tennessee. The university's women's basketball head coach, Mark Campbell, said the trio who escaped the tragedy unhurt will stay in his house outside the campus until repair work is completed. Speaking on telephone from US on Thursday, Campbell said it was a miracle that the three together with other students escaped unhurt after the tornado which caused extensive damage to the facilities left several students injured.
"I want to assure Kenyans that the girls are safe and are currently staying at my house until normalcy returns at the campus." Campbell said on telephone while asking the parents, friends, relatives and the basketball fraternity not to panic. Josephine Achieng Owino and Beatrice Awino, both former students at Mombasa High School left for the US in 2004 and 2006 respectively while Chan who was a student at United States International University (USIU) left last October all on a five year full basketball scholarship.
They helped the college to set a new team record of 22-0 in the NAIA last Friday passing the previous record of 21-0 they set in 1987-88 when they beat Lyon College 91-75 with Owino contributing 23 points.
According to the university president David S. Dockery, all students including the 13 who were trapped in the fallen rubble were rescued. Fifty-one students, nine of them who suffered serious injuries were taken to the hospital. There were no fatalities, he said. Dockery said seventeen buildings were damaged.
Nairobi
Kenya women's national basketball team players, Josephine Achieng Owino, Beatrice Awino Oyenje and Zainab Sarah Chan, have been evacuated to safety after their campus was destroyed by a tornado on Tuesday evening.
The three are students at Union University in Tennessee. The university's women's basketball head coach, Mark Campbell, said the trio who escaped the tragedy unhurt will stay in his house outside the campus until repair work is completed. Speaking on telephone from US on Thursday, Campbell said it was a miracle that the three together with other students escaped unhurt after the tornado which caused extensive damage to the facilities left several students injured.
"I want to assure Kenyans that the girls are safe and are currently staying at my house until normalcy returns at the campus." Campbell said on telephone while asking the parents, friends, relatives and the basketball fraternity not to panic. Josephine Achieng Owino and Beatrice Awino, both former students at Mombasa High School left for the US in 2004 and 2006 respectively while Chan who was a student at United States International University (USIU) left last October all on a five year full basketball scholarship.
They helped the college to set a new team record of 22-0 in the NAIA last Friday passing the previous record of 21-0 they set in 1987-88 when they beat Lyon College 91-75 with Owino contributing 23 points.
According to the university president David S. Dockery, all students including the 13 who were trapped in the fallen rubble were rescued. Fifty-one students, nine of them who suffered serious injuries were taken to the hospital. There were no fatalities, he said. Dockery said seventeen buildings were damaged.
# posted by afrbk : 14:52
