Breaking: Boat Capsizes, Number of Bodies Found Announced
- A boat carrying 77 passengers capsized in Gorau community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Thursday morning
- The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed 46 bodies had been recovered, with rescuers still searching for 16 missing passengers
- The rescue operation involved local divers, NEMA, SEMA and the Police, as the Gorau community awaited news of loved ones
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At least 46 people have died after a boat carrying 77 passengers capsized in Gorau community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the state Police Command confirmed on Thursday, August 20.
Fifteen passengers were pulled out alive, while rescue teams continued searching for the remaining 16 people still unaccounted for.
Source: Getty Images
The police spokesman, DSP Ahmed Rufai, said the boat was transporting farmers, men, women and children to their rice farms when it went down.
"Forty-six corpses have so far been recovered, while 15 persons were rescued alive. The rescue team, comprising local divers, NEMA, SEMA and the Police, is still searching for the remaining 16 persons," Rufai said.
The cause of the capsizing had not been established at the time this report was filed.
Gorau community in mourning
A community resident who spoke without giving a name said local divers and emergency responders moved in immediately after the accident. "Only a few people were initially reported rescued, while several bodies were recovered from the water.
Rescue efforts are ongoing as local divers and emergency responders continue searching for those still missing," the resident said, adding that families had gathered and were anxiously awaiting news of their relatives.
A senior official from the National Emergency Management Agency, who identified himself as Alhaji Ibrahim, said personnel had been mobilised and were heading to the scene to support the operation.
Calls for safer waterway transport
The African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan'iya, described the accident as a "devastating tragedy," noting that some of those on board were children aged between 10 and 15 who were travelling alongside farmers and labourers.
In a statement issued through his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, Dan'iya called on the Sokoto State Government and emergency agencies to send more personnel, medical teams and rescue equipment to the scene.
"I am deeply saddened by this tragic incident and the loss of precious lives in Gorau. My thoughts and prayers are with the families who have lost their loved ones and those whose relatives are still missing," he said.
He also urged authorities to identify and document all victims so their families could access appropriate support, and called for a broader assessment of waterways across the state, including the provision of regulated boats, life jackets, trained operators and the construction of bridges or alternative crossings where necessary.
"No farmer should have to risk his or her life simply to access a farm and provide food for the family," Dan'iya said.
The tragedy occurred exactly one year after a similar boat accident in Kijio community, also in Goronyo Local Government Area.
40 people feared dead as boat capsizes
Previously, Legit.ng reported that at least 40 people are feared dead after a wooden canoe capsized in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, while transporting farmers and labourers to rice fields across a stream.
Rescue workers had recovered about 40 bodies by the time of reporting, while six survivors, including the community's village head, had been pulled to safety.
Source: Legit.ng
