LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A boat conveying about 22 passengers from Kasabu in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger to Yauri in Kebbi State has capsized.
The Director-General of the State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Salihu Garba, disclosed this in Minna on Monday.
He said the agency received a report of the boat mishap on Monday between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
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According to him, a survivor of the mishap said the boat had about 22 passengers on board. Search and rescue operations were ongoing by the local divers and boat owners under the supervision of the agency’s desk officer in Agwara.
He stated that no passenger had been recovered ye; he further added adding that the mishap happened on Yauri market day.
Mr Garba further disclosed that only after the market would families be able to declare their missing relatives, noting that it takes about 24 hours for any drowned person to surface atop the water.
He attributed the cause of the incident to water hyacinth coupled with strong waves.