Boat mishap claims 15 lives, several others missing in Niger

Tragedy struck at the weekend in Niger State, following a boat mishap in Tijana community of Munya local government area of the state that claimed the lives of over 15 villagers on board the ill-fated boat inside a river in the area.

The boat was said to have capsized at about 6:00 pm on Saturday when the villagers were allegedly returning from a local market in Zumba in Shiroro local government area of the state.

According to the Sarkin Kasuwan (Head of the Market) of Zumba, Mallam Adamu Ahmed who confirmed the incident to Tribune Online, by telephone interview he said the local wooden boat was carrying no fewer than about 60 passengers on board, including women and children when it capsized due to a heavy windstorm, that heralded a heavy downpour.

He stated that among the victims were some returnees who had earlier fled their homes with their children due to armed bandits attacks.

Mallam Adamu Ahmed stated further that about 17 people have been rescued alive through the efforts of local divers who swung into action shortly after the incident happened following a distress call by concerned people around the scene of the boat mishap.

The Sarkin Kasuwa noted that the local divers, mostly youths had defied the heavy rainfall to continue their rescue operation on Saturday evening when no official assistance from the state government was yet to be seen from those who had made concerted efforts to contact the government on the unfortunate incident.

It could however be recalled that a similar boat mishap had occurred in the area that claimed over 13 lives in 2017 when a passenger Wooden boat with no fewer than about 30 people on board capsized midway into their journey to the same Zumba market.

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