Another boat mishap has claimed four lives in Zamfara State.
Naturenex reports that this comes barely a week following a tragic boat capsizing in the Gummi area of the state, where at least 40 individuals reportedly died.
Reports on the most recent incident revealed that the boat overturned with more than 50 passengers aboard at Mashayar Garba Rogo in Bukkuyum town, located within the Bukkuyum Local Government Area.
Daily Post quoted a resident, Muhammad Usman, to have disclosed that the boat, which was transporting over 50 individuals, capsized on Tuesday, leading to the drowning of four children in this unfortunate event.
Two bodies have been recovered, while two others are still unaccounted for. Furthermore, 12 survivors are presently receiving medical care at Bukkuyum General Hospital.
One of the survivors, Babangida Usman, recounted that the boat was carrying a majority of small children, along with a few adults, who were attempting to cross the river to access their agricultural lands.
He noted that during the voyage, the boat began to behave erratically. Despite the captains’ attempts to regain control, the vessel ultimately capsized.
“We rescued 12 children and some adults. Sadly, four people died. We recovered two bodies, but the remaining two are still missing,” he said.
Speaking on the incident, the Sole Administrator of Bukkuyyum Local Government, Hon. Nasiru Muhammad, attributed the incident to overloading, anxiety, and failure to adhere to boat safety guidelines.
“The government is still providing care for the 12 rescued victims at the General Hospital in Bukkuyum, and measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
“Experts are currently searching the river for the two missing passengers,” Muhammad noted.
