A tragic boating accident has resulted in the deaths of 29 individuals in the Gausawa community, located within the Malale ward of the Borgu Local Government Area in Niger State.
Abdullahi Baba-Arah, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), provided this information in a statement released in Minna on Wednesday. The incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 11:30 a.m., involving a boat that was transporting 90 passengers, including women and children.
The boat had departed from Tungan Sule in the Shagunu ward and was en route to Dugga for a condolence visit when it tragically collided with a tree stump, leading to the disaster.
As of the latest updates, recovery efforts have located 29 deceased individuals, while 50 survivors have been rescued. Unfortunately, two passengers remain unaccounted for, and search and rescue operations are continuing.
Baba-Arah indicated that overloading and the collision with the tree stump are suspected to be contributing factors to the accident.
(NAN)
