No fewer than 41 people have been feared dead following a boat accident in Gummi town, the headquarters of Gummi Local Government Area in Zamfara State.
It was gathered that the accident occurred early on Saturday morning when a boat carrying 53 farmers to their farms capsized on a river near the town.
According to an eyewitness, Abubakar Muhammad, who spoke with PUNCH, only 12 passengers, including the boat captain, were rescued alive.
“We did our best to save as many as we could, but sadly, 41 passengers couldn’t be brought out alive,” Muhammad said.
Alhaji Na’Allah Musa, the Sole Administrator of Gummi Local Government Area, also confirmed the boat accident, attributing it to overloading.
According to Musa, the boat’s captain had urged some passengers to disembark due to the excess weight, but they refused to comply.
“There were too many people on board, and the captain did everything possible to reduce the number, but no one wanted to stay behind,” he said.
“After exhausting all efforts to convince them, the captain had no choice but to proceed. Unfortunately, the boat capsized and sank due to the overloading.”
Musa added that only four passengers managed to swim to safety, while rescue teams saved several others
