Eight bodies have been recovered from a boat mishap which occured in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Niger state emergency management agency NSEMA confirmed that bodies of 5 women and 3 men have so far been recovered by local divers while search and rescue operations are ongoing.
The boat which capsized on Monday afternoon was reported to be carrying over 200 bags of assorted grains in addition to animals, sugar cane and about 100 passengers .
The passengers were mostly traders from Dugga Mashaya in Dugga ward, Borgu Local council of Niger State, who were heading for Wara market in Kebbi State when the boat capsized around 2pm on Monday.
This is the first boat accident reported in Niger state in 2024 .
4 boat accidents were reported and 65 lives were lost between September and November 2023
The Niger state governor, Umar Bago, in a condolence message through his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, expressed unhappiness that boat mishaps in recent times were becoming one too many in the state.
He urged relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to rise to their responsibilities to ensure that safety precautions in water transportation are observed in riverine communities to avert further boat accidents.
(C) ControlTV 2024.
