- 50 bags of paddy rice, cows, sheep perished
From John Adams, Minna
No fewer than 13 bodies have been recovered from the river after a wooden boat capsized in river Shiroro in Shiroro local government area of Niger state in Saturday.
According an update provided by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NISEMA) in Minna on Sunday, the boat was carrying 39 passengers before it capsized shortly after taken of from Guni in Munya local government area of the state.
The boat which was also carrying food stuff and animals was heading to the Saturday market in Zumba, also in Shiroro local government area.
While 26 people were rescued alive by a combined efforts of police marines and local divers, 13 people lost their lives.
Also 50 bags of paddy rice, two cows, two sheep and one goat perished in the mishap.
It was however gathered that all the recovered bodies are said to be lying at the river bank in Zumba as the police marines have asked the relations of the victims to come and evacuate them for burial.
It could be recalled that the boat accident occured at about 2:30pm on Saturday when the boat carrying passengers, goods and animals was heading to the Saturday market in Zumba, the same Shiroro local government area.
The boat was said to have taken off from Guni, a riverin community in Munya local government area of the state and capsized few minutes into the journey.
According to a source close to Zumba market, the boat, was said to have collided with a tree under the water and broke into two due to the heavy loads and also the age of the boat.
However a similar boat mishap in 2017 on the same river Shiroro claimed 12 lives while animals and food stuff were equally perished.
The wooden boat too was said to have taken off from Fitir community in Kaduna state which shared boarder with Niger state and was heading towards the same Saturday market in Zumba when it suddenly capsized.
The Fitir mishap which claimed the lives of 11 women and two boys, was the sixth mishaps on the river in 15 years according to the locals.
No statement from the state government as at the time of filing this report (4:15pm) Sunday.
