A boat mishap has claimed 29 lives in Gausawa community, Malale Ward of Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State.
The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna on Wednesday.
According to him, the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m. when the boat, carrying 90 passengers including women and children, capsized.
The boat had departed from Tungan Sule in Shagunu Ward and was heading to Dugga community for a condolence visit before it collided with a tree stump.
Baba-Arah said 29 bodies had so far been recovered, 50 persons rescued alive, while two others remain missing. Search and rescue operations were still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.
“Overloading and collision with the tree stump are believed to be the causes of the mishap,” he added.
