The rescue operations for 11 missing passengers of the ill-fated Yobe commercial boat have been doubled by emergency officials, expanding the search for their bodies beyond the location where the mishap occurred on the waterways linking the state and Borno state.
As gathered, the decision to expand the search and rescue operations across the river that flows into Lake Chad in Borno state was taken after all efforts to recover bodies of the missing passengers proved abortive, barely three days after the mishap occurred.
Meanwhile, the State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has approved the disbursement of N17.1 million as feeding funds to families of the 29 deceased passengers and 13 survivors of the boat mishap.
A breakdown of the fund showed that while families of the dead passengers would receive N500,000, the survivors got N200,000 each.
The Director General, Media and Press Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, disclosed this on Tuesday through a statement made available to newsmen in Damaturu, the state capital.
He noted that Buni has condoled the families of the 29 farmers and traders who died in the Daturdaya capsized boat, while sailing along the Yobe/Kumadugu River in the state.
According to him, the tragic incident is a colossal loss to the state government and the families of the deceased traders and fishermen.
“It is with a heavy heart that I received the devastating news of the boat mishap in Nguru local council area, which claimed 29 lives with 11 others still missing.”
The spokesman stated that while the governor was praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased persons, he directed the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) team and other volunteers to provide free treatment to the rescued passengers during the ongoing rescue operations.
“I pray that more survivors will be rescued to join their families in Nguru and the adjoining communities in the local council,” he stated.
He added that a sum of N500,000 has been released for the befitting burials of the deceased and feeding for their families during the mourning period.
Meanwhile, Buni has directed SEMA, the Fire Service, and the Nguru local government to mobilise additional rescue teams to intensify the search and rescue of the missing passengers in the river.
The tragic accident was reported to have occurred on Saturday at 7:35 p.m., when a canoe conveying 52 passengers from Adiyani in Jigawa State to Garbi in Nguru Local Government Area (LGA) capsized, killing 29 passengers.
The governor warned against overloading and the sailing or paddling of canoes and boats at night along the rivers and streams in any part of the state.
The warnings he explained would prevent accidents, such as hitting submerged objects and tree trunks, while sailing along the rivers and streams of the Lake River Basin.
Buni, therefore, directed the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mohammed Goje, to provide immediate support to the families of the deceased while the search and rescue operations continue.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Goje has revealed that the death toll in the Saturday boat mishap has risen from 25 to 29.
He added, “Right now we are searching for 11 other victims, who are still missing in the river that flows into Lake Chad in Borno State.”
