Nine bodies, including two women and seven men, have been recovered following a tragic boat accident that occurred in Gbajibo, Niger State.
The victims were among the 300 passengers travelling from Mundi Community to attend the Maulid celebration at Gbajibo on Tuesday night when the boat capsized.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that 150 passengers were rescued immediately, while another 150 remain unaccounted for.
The boat, which was carrying mostly women and children, capsized during the journey.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Director General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed that the search and rescue operations were still ongoing as efforts continued to recover more victims from the river.
“Nine corpses have been recovered in the Gbajibo boat accident. Two females and seven men,” Baba-Arah said in a brief update.
He further explained that the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on October 1, 2024, on the River Niger, upstream of the Jebba Dam in Mokwa Local Government Area.
“The boat was carrying nearly 300 passengers, mostly women and children, from Mundi Community for the Maulid celebration in Gbajibo,” he added.
NSEMA, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Transport, the Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and community volunteers, is directing and monitoring the ongoing search and rescue efforts.
As families and the community anxiously await more news, the tragedy highlights the dangers of overcrowded boats and the urgent need for stricter safety measures to prevent such mishaps in the future. (PUNCH)
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