No fewer than ten persons have been killed in a boat mishap which occurred on Thursday evening, in Shiroro local government area (LGA) of Niger State.
According to the Secretary, ‘Coalition of Shiroro Associations’, Sa’idu Salihu, that the incident happened around 4 pm on Thursday, adding that the victims, mostly traders, were conveying goods from the Zungeru community of Bassa ward to Gijiwa, ahead of Friday market in Kuta, headquarters of Shiroro, when the tragic incident happened.
He said 32 people were on board, out of which 10 people lost their lives, while local divers rescued 22.
Aso, Head of Information and Special Duties, Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Audu, confirmed the incident. He, however, said 34 people were on board, comprising 20 male passengers and 14 female passengers, adding that 8 female children, 4 female adults and 18 male adults were on board the ill-fated boat.
Audu confirmed that 10 people lost their lives while 24 others were rescued.
He gave the names of those who lost their lives as Farida Muntari, Sharhabila Sagir, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, Sadiq Ibrahim, Rafiya Yakubu, and two unidentified victims.
According to him, so far, one body had been recovered, while the search for others was on-going. He attributed the cause of the accident to water hyacinth, strong waves, and a grafting tree.
