No fewer than bodies have been recovered from the unfortunate boat accident that occurred in Shiroro local government of Niger State, leaving families in mourning.
The victims have since been laid to rest by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency after their lifeless bodies were brought from the water by the search and rescue team of the agency and local divers.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed this development to newsmen on Sunday, as he disclosed that the victims have been buried.
The agency said 39 Passengers were in the boat at the time of the incident, and 26 passengers were rescued.
“39 passengers were in the boat when it capsized. 26 of them were rescued. 13 passengers died, including eight women, three men and two children,” Baba-Arah said.
The incident occurred when the boat carrying the passengers and goods hit the stump of a tree under water and split into two.
The passengers were said to be travelling around 11 in the morning, around Kwata heading to Zumba, when the boat loaded with goods and passengers, capsized on their way to the Zumba weekly market.
A statement issued by the Director of Information and Special Duties, Ibrahim Hussaini, disclosed that the boat driver and a few passengers were rescued, with one of them, who was admitted in the General Hospital Kuta, has been discharged.
In order to prevent similar occurrences in future, the Niger State Government, through NSEMA, National Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, and the National Inland Waterways, among others, had distributed life jackets to various riverine communities as safety measures for travellers.
