One of the fleeing pupils of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, in Yobe State, who was rescued alongside 47 others, is said to have suffered snake bite while in the bush.

Forty-eight out of the allegedly missing 94 girls have come out of hiding, even as the state government has launched a massive search-and-rescue operation for the remaining ones.

The Yobe State Commissioner of Education, Mohammed Lamin, told journalists in Damaturu that the school has registered the 28 hitherto missing students that returned on Tuesday night, while 20 more were received from Magwaram village on Wednesday morning, bringing the total of the returnees to 48.

He said: “This has brought down the 94 missing students realised at the yesterday’s headcount to 46 this morning (Wednesday). We are still hopeful that more are returning soon.”

The commissioner asked parents to report to the school whenever their children arrive home so as to update the existing list.

An anonymous source in the school had told our correspondent that the 28 students that returned were rescued by villagers in bushes around Dapchi town.

The source said: “You know, some of the children trekked 15 to 20 kilometers in the bush to save their lives.

“We also received calls from Fulani settlements that they are bringing more students they found in the bush.”

He added, “So far, no dead body has been recovered, but there was one who was bitten by snake.

“She was treated locally and would be taken to Specialist Hospital, Damaturu, for better attention.”

It was also gathered that a combined team of security operatives has been drafted to the area for continuing search of the remaining missing students