Fifteen out of 50 passengers traveling on a boat
across River Malale in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State have been
confirmed dead on Thursday boat mishap, as the remaining 35 passengers have
also not been accounted for.
The Director General of the state Emergency
Management Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko Inga, who confirmed the report in Minna,
said the deceased and those yet to be accounted for were on a big boat
traveling from Warah market in Ngaski LGA of Kebbi State to Sabon Yunmu in
Borgu LGA in Niger State.
Inga said the accident could have occurred as a
result of poor visibility caused by heavy rainfall which made the boat operator
to hit the trunk of a tree in the river.
He said the search by divers for the remaining
traders had begun, while the remains of the deceased would be interred
according to Islamic rites.
Inga said the Niger State Government was working
towards putting in place regulatory frameworks to check the activities of boat
operators as well as address the impediments that hamper their activities.
The director general disclosed that the state government
was looking at the possibility of providing life jackets for water
transportation in a bid to reduce the high casualty rates associated with such
travels.
In 2017, eight people, mostly women and children,
lost their lives in a similar accident while returning to Malale from Warrah
market in Kebbi State through the same route.
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