At least 60 bodies have been recovered from a boat carrying 300 people that capsized in Niger State on Tuesday, October 1.
Several persons were also confirmed missing from the boat accident.
According to a release by the press secretary Council of Mokwa Local Government, Abubakar Dakani, the boat capsized at the notorious Gbajibo River in Mokwa Area of Niger State on Tuesday evening.
Dakani stated that the boat was travelling from Mundi to Gbajibo for the annual Maulud celebration when the incident happened.
According to the release, the council chairman, Abdullahi Muregi, reported that 60 bodies were recovered and 10 people were rescued from the mishap.
It added that efforts to locate the remaining missing persons are ongoing, with rescuers working alongside the State Emergency Management Agency and local communities.
Director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, also confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, October 2.
Baba-Arah reported that swift action by the agency and community volunteers resulted in the rescue of 150 people.
However, he said the agency was still investigating and has not yet determined the cause of the accident.
“The agency, in collaboration with the state Ministry of Transport, Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and community volunteers, is directing and monitoring search and rescue operations,” Baba-Arah stated.
In a statement released on Wednesday in Minna, the state capital, the director of media and strategy for the Niger State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Habibu Wushishi, confirmed the incident and stated that rescue efforts were ongoing.
Wushishi stated that Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Ahmed Baba Yumu, and Permanent Secretary, Mairo Mohammed Mann, were deeply saddened and shocked by the incident.
The government pledged to update all relevant parties as new information emerges.
Wushishi also recalled that in the last few months, there have been two boat accidents in the area.
To avert further deaths, he advised locals to avoid night travel, overloading boats, make sure they use secure, well-maintained watercraft, and prioritise wearing life jackets.
Deaths arising from boat accidents have been rampant in the past few months in Nigeria.
The ICIR reported in September that the presidency confirmed that over 40 farmers died in a boat accident in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, September 14, in Gummi town when the farmers were reportedly going to their farms.
A reporter with the ICIR
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