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The Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, has confirmed the recovery of 13 bodies after Saturday’s boat mishap in Kwata heading to Zumba market, in Shiroro Local Government Area.
It was gathered that the incident occurred around 11:45 am in the morning, when the boat loaded with goods and passengers capsized on its way to a weekly market in the area.
Director General of NSEMA, Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, disclosed the casualty figure in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Special Duties, Dr Ibrahim Hussaini.
Recall that the driver of the boat and few passengers were earlier rescued, with some of them admitted in General Hospital Kuta and later discharged.
According to the NSEMA director general, the number of casualties is yet to be ascertained as search and rescue operations are still on going by the agency’s operatives, local divers and volunteers in the community.
It would be recalled that, in a bid to forstal frequent boat accidents in the state, Niger State government through NSEMA, National Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, N-HYPPADEC, and the National Inland Waterways Agency, NIWA, among others, had distributed life jackets across various riverine communities.
However, failure by boat owners and travellers to use the life jackets – despite enforcement – has contributed to high casualty rates during such incidents in the state.
At least 20 people, predominantly women and children, are feared dead following a boat accident on the River Benue, which occurred on Saturday in the Ocholonya region of Agatu Local Government Area, Benue State. Local officials and rescue teams are scrambling to assess the full scale of the disaster, with grief-stricken families awaiting news of their loved ones, while efforts to recover the victims continue
The victims were reportedly heading back to Doma in Nasarawa State after spending the day at the village market when their wooden boat capsized. The event has sparked widespread grief as rescue efforts continue in an attempt to locate any survivors.
The passengers, who were returning to Doma in Nasarawa State after a day at the market, found themselves in a perilous situation when the boat overturned. Adanyi Adanu, a local leader from Ocholonya, spoke to journalists, confirming the tragic event and expressing the sorrow felt by the entire community.
