Opeyemi Olamilekan
KOGI, Nigeria – A boat conveying no fewer than 200 market women and labourers – capsized in northcentral Nigeria, a local newspaper reported on Friday, adding that 8 bodies have been recovered so far.
The women and labourers were travelling to a market in Niger State on a boat when it capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger, according to a spokesman for the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
The number of casualties is yet to be ascertained, but The Punch newspaper reported that at least eight bodies have been recovered so far, with search and rescue operations still ongoing.
“It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Thursday involving quite a number of women heading to a market in Niger State. We are still investigating to determine the number of people involved and the cause of the accident,” the Head of NIWA’s Media Department, Suleman Makama said.
Makama said he awaits clearance from NIWA management before issuing an official statement providing comprehensive details of the incident.
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