At least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, are feared to have lost their lives after a boat carrying mourners overturned on the River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
The accident occurred on Saturday evening as the passengers were returning home from a burial ceremony, according to residents of the affected community.
A local resident, Daniel, told journalists by telephone on Sunday that the victims were travelling back to Daududawadawa, an island community situated behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering Barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi.
He explained that the boat was carrying more than 40 passengers when it encountered severe weather conditions in the middle of the river.
The commander of the local vigilante outfit, Operation Shara (Sweep), Nura Umar, confirmed the incident and said the passengers had attended the burial of a woman from their community at Wadata.
“The deceased woman had been taken to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning where she later died, and the relatives and sympathisers from the island community decided to take the remains to Wadata for her burial.
“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7pm, heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey.
“There were over 40 passengers aboard the boat, but 11 were feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining victims.”
Umar added that one of the survivors had a baby tied to her back at the time of the accident, but the child was swept away when the boat overturned.
As of Sunday, search and recovery efforts were still ongoing.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received an official report of the incident.
Efforts to reach the chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, were unsuccessful as calls to his phone were not answered.
The tragedy comes only months after the Benue State Government announced plans to strengthen safety regulations on the state’s waterways following a series of fatal boat accidents.
In January, the government, through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, introduced measures aimed at improving water transportation safety, including the compulsory use of life jackets by passengers and boat operators.
Residents say the latest incident underscores the urgent need for stricter enforcement of those safety measures across riverine communities in the state.
(Ripples)