There has been yet another devastating boat accident which claimed the lives of 29 people in Niger State’s Borgu Local Government Area, with two passengers missing and 50 rescued.
The accident occurred on Wednesday at Gausawa in Malale ward after a boat carrying some 90 passengers capsized. The boat had departed from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward and was heading to Dugga to make a condolence visit, with most of those who perished being women and children.
Witnesses stated that the overloading boat capsized after it collided with a sunken tree stump.
Confirming the tragedy, Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba Arah, said:
“We got a report of an occurrence at a boat in Gausawa along Malale village of Borgu LGA. From our desk officer who facilitated the rescue, the boat had 90 passengers, including women and children.”
He added 29 bodies have been recovered, 50 survivors rescued alive, and two still missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Overloading and lack of safety equipment were blamed by Arah as the reason for the tragedy, where not a single passenger wore life jackets despite constant reminders from the government.
