MINNA: Thirteen bodies have been recovered following a boat mishap which occurred on Saturday in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
More passengers are still unaccounted for, according to Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency NSEMA.
“So far, we have been able to recover 13 corpses while the search for other passengers is still on,” Arah stated, adding that the exact cause of the accident remains unknown, but investigations are ongoing.
Villagers are actively assisting in the recovery efforts.
The incident took place around 11:45 am on Saturday near Kwata village, where the boat, heavily laden with traders and their goods, was en route to Zumba for its weekly market day.
While the driver and a few passengers were rescued immediately, with one treated and discharged from General Hospital Kuta, local divers and volunteers continue a desperate search for more victims.
The precise cause of the accident is yet to be determined, but News Hub reports that past boat mishaps in the region, particularly on market days, have often been attributed to overloading and a disregard for safety regulations.
Despite previous distributions of life jackets to boat operators by the state government and relevant agencies like N-HYPPADEC and NIWA, enforcement of their usage has been a persistent challenge.
