ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-No fewer than 11 persons, including a pregnant woman and six children, were feared dead after a boat conveying mourners from a burial ceremony capsized on River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
A local source, who simply identified himself as Daniel, said the incident happened on Saturday night.
Daniel told journalists in a telephone interview on Sunday that the victims were returning to Daududawadawa community, an island settlement behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering Barracks in the North Bank area of the state capital.
He said the ill-fated boat, which carried about 40 passengers, overturned mid-river between 7pm and 8pm during a heavy downpour accompanied by a windstorm.
READ ALSO: W’Bank Plans Up To $100bn Support For Developing Economies Amid Middle East Tensions
The Commander of a local vigilante group, Operation Shara (Sweep), North Bank, Nura Umar, who confirmed the incident, said the victims were returning from the burial of a woman from their community at Wadata.
Umar said, “The deceased woman had been taken to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning where she later died, and the relatives and sympathisers from the island community decided to take the remains to Wadata for her burial.
“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7pm, heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey.
“There were over 40 passengers aboard the boat, but 11 were feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining victims.”
Umar added that one of the survivors had a baby strapped to her back but lost the child in the accident.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received any report on the incident.
The Chairman of Makurdi Local Government, Joseph Keffi, could not be reached as his phone rang out.
The incident comes less than six months after the state government pledged to strengthen safety measures to curb recurring boat accidents across waterways in the state.
In January, the government, through Friday Har, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, launched a comprehensive enforcement initiative.
Under the guidelines, authorities emphasized compulsory use of life jackets for all passengers and boat operators, among other safety measures.