Tragedy in Niger as Boat Carrying 90 Passengers Sinks, 29 Dead
- At least 29 people have died in a boat accident at Gausawa community, Borgu LGA of Niger state
- The vessel, carrying about 90 passengers, capsized after colliding with a tree stump due to overloading
- Emergency officials confirmed 50 survivors, while two passengers remain missing as authorities say none of the victims wore life jackets
At least 29 people have lost their lives in another boat accident in Niger state, throwing several riverine communities into mourning.
The tragedy occurred on Tuesday at Gausawa, Borgu Local Government Area, when a vessel carrying more than 90 passengers capsized mid-journey.
Source: Original
Victims were on a condolence visit
According to officials, the victims, mostly women and children, were traveling from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward to Dugga community for a condolence visit.
The boat reportedly collided with a submerged tree stump after being overloaded, leading to the disaster around 11.30am
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that 29 bodies had been recovered as of Wednesday morning, while 50 passengers were rescued alive.
Two persons were still unaccounted for when rescue workers ended operations for the day.
Officials detail how tragic event happened
NSEMA Director General, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said the agency received a distress call from its desk officer in Borgu who immediately mobilised search and rescue teams.
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He explained that the scale of the tragedy could have been reduced if safety measures were followed.
“The boat was carrying 90 people, including children, on their way to a condolence visit. Overloading and a collision with a tree stump caused the accident. Twenty-nine bodies have been recovered, 50 people survived, and two remain missing,” Baba-Arah stated.
A senior official of the Ministry of Transport, who asked not to be named, said the passengers ignored basic safety rules.
“The victims were not wearing life jackets. That is why the casualty figure is this high. In many of these remote communities, passengers still refuse to use life jackets even when they are available,” the official lamented.
Residents of Borgu LGA say boat mishaps have become far too common in the area. Local associations have repeatedly warned of the dangers of overloading and poor enforcement of safety regulations, especially during the rainy season when rivers rise and navigation becomes more dangerous.
The Gausawa incident is the second fatal boat crash in Niger state this year. In July, more than a dozen people died after another vessel struck a submerged tree trunk on the River Niger.
That tragedy occurred weeks after the National Inland Waterways Authority distributed life jackets in Mokwa following devastating floods that killed over 200 residents.
Authorities say search and recovery efforts are still underway to locate the two missing passengers. Meanwhile, families of the deceased have begun mass burials in affected communities as the state reels from yet another avoidable disaster.
3 farmers die as overloaded boat capsizes
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that three farmers were confirmed dead after a boat accident in Kubo ward of Shani Local Government Area, Borno state.
The incident happened on Monday morning while the victims and other farmers were heading to their farmlands across River Kubo.
The National Emergency Management Agency, North-East office, said the boat was conveying 20 farmers when it capsized as a result of overloading.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
