Boat Tragedy: 29 dead, 50 rescued as overloaded boat capsizes
Story by Susan Mbamah
At least 29 people have been confirmed dead and two others are missing after a boat carrying 90 passengers capsized in Niger State on Tuesday.
The tragic accident occurred around 11:30 a.m. in the Gausawa community of Borgu Local Government Area.
Passengers were on their way to the Dugga community for a condolence visit when the boat, which had departed from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward, overturned.
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According to eyewitnesses and emergency officials, the boat was overloaded and collided with a submerged tree stump in the river, causing it to capsize.
A source from the Niger State Ministry of Transport, who wished to remain anonymous, told News Point Nigeria that none of the passengers were wearing life jackets.
“The passengers were obviously not wearing life jackets, because if they had been, more if not all of them would have survived. Unfortunately, a lot of people in Borgu do not like to wear them for reasons best known to them,” the source stated.
The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the incident. “NSEMA has received a report of a boat mishap in Gausawa, Malale area of Borgu LGA. Our desk officer led the search and rescue operations. The boat had 90 passengers on board, including women and children, heading for a condolence visit,” he explained.
Baba-Arah reported that 29 bodies have been recovered and 50 people have been rescued, while search and rescue operations are ongoing for the two missing passengers.
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This latest tragedy is the second boat accident in Niger State this year.
In July, another fatal incident occurred, also due to a collision with a tree stump.
Boat accidents are a frequent occurrence in the state’s riverine communities, often attributed to the poor enforcement of safety regulations, overloading, and the refusal of passengers to wear life jackets.
Following a catastrophic flood-related boat disaster last year that killed over 200 people, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) distributed life jackets in Mokwa.
As search teams continue their work, families of the victims and survivors are left to cope with the devastating loss from yet another preventable tragedy.
The recent incident adds to a troubling pattern of fatal boat accidents in Niger State.
Just last year, more than 200 people perished in a disaster, and these events highlight the urgent need for stricter safety measures and public education on water transportation.
The government has attempted to address the issue by providing life jackets, but continued tragedies suggest that more comprehensive enforcement and community engagement are needed to prevent further loss of life on the state’s waterways.
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