A boat ferrying about 200 persons, mostly artisans, miners and traders from Niger State, to Warra in Kebbi State, capsized on Wednesday.
About 150 of the passengers were said to have drowned in the mishap.
The incident happened at about 10am in Warra village in Ngaski local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Ibrahim Ngaski, the Secretary, Red Cross, Kebbi State branch, said, “Majority of the passengers were artisans, miners and traders, who were returning from Niger State to Kebbi State. Information indicated that only one corpse was recovered, while a rescue mission is ongoing.
“The absence of rescue equipment is the major impediment to the rescue operation. The information at hand said the boat was conveying about 200 people. We are waiting to hear from our men, who have since joined the rescue team. So far, only one body has been recovered.”
The Chairman of Warra, Adamu Umar Warra, confirmed the accident to journalists, adding that almost every single household in the village had its member in the ill-fated boat, which capsized in the deepest part of the River Niger.
He said so far, 4 dead bodies had been recovered, while 18 persons had been rescued and rushed to hospital.
Warra said, “Almost every single household in the village has its member in the ill-fated boat. The boat was carrying over 150 persons and capsized in the deepest part of the River Niger.
“So far, only four dead bodies have been recovered, while 18 persons have been rescued and rushed to hospital for medical attention.
“The four corpses recovered are two males and two females, and a rescue mission is on course up to this moment.
“The accident occurred between 9am and 10am this morning (Wednesday) and all the passengers in the boat are in the river and there is no hope of getting them alive”.
‘We have also learnt that there are eight people from the same family, who are involved in the accident.
“In fact, many people have died and nobody can precisely say the number.
“We were only able to rescue 22 people, who have been rushed to the Warra General Hospital for medical attention.
“We also recovered one corpse of a girl, but the rest were drowned in the river.”
The chairman, however, blamed the accident on overloading, saying the boat was supposed to carry only 80 people, but it carried 160 persons including bags of sand.
President Buhari has sympathized with the families of the victims.
Buhari’s condolences was contained in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, titled “President Buhari: Kebbi boat accident devastating, condoles with families of victims”
The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has described the news of the capsizing of a boat in the Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State as devastating, offering his heartfelt condolences to the families of those affected by this tragedy.
“From media reports, there are indications that the boat was overloaded and there is no official confirmation on the number of casualties.
“While efforts are ongoing to recover more survivors, the President extends his gratitude to all those involved in the rescue efforts and wishes those injured from the accident quick recovery.”
However, the National Emergency Management Agency has said it is expecting the details of the Kebbi and Niger state emergency management agencies on the tragedy.