According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the death toll from the Niger boat accident has reached 30, with 58 people so far being saved.  ,
NEMA stated in a statement on Thursday that rescue efforts are still ongoing in the Gausawa community, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.  ,
About the accident, which left several families grieving, the organization stated that “environ 90 people were onboard the ill-fated vessel,” according to witnesses at the scene.  ,
“A total of 58 passengers have been saved so far, and over 30 have lost their lives as one more body was found this afternoon.” Search and rescue efforts are still being conducted for a number of other passengers who are still unaccounted for.
The most recent boat incident, according to investigations, was “caused by the vessel’s overload, compounded by a collision with a tree stump along the water channel.”
Zubaida Umar, NEMA’s director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has since directed the Minna Operations Office to increase the organization’s efforts to rescue people.  ,
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), local divers, and community volunteers are already leading the rescue operation, according to Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA).
Niger State’s Gausawa Community, Borgu LGA, Niger State, NEMA Update on Boat Mishap
Mrs. Zubaida Umar, the director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has instructed the Minna Operations Office to increase their current rescue efforts… pic. twitter.com/f2zf6jX3JK
Read more about the Zamfara boat accident that 15 residents who fled from bandits were feared dead.
Meanwhile, NIWA has criticised the lack of safety measures on waterways.
Olawale Adetola, the country’s general manager for business development, lamented the recent boat accident fatalities that have occurred in the nation.
“Well, let me first convey the authorities’ condolences to the Niger population regarding this recent boat accident. He stated in the opening line of the Thursday edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief that “we are tired of hearing all these fatalities coming from boat accidents.”  ,
As an authority, “we are doing everything we can to prevent things like this from occurring.” We educate and sensibilize all boat owners about the importance of safety when using them on the water.
In the event of a collision of this nature, we have distributed life jackets. However, the majority of people don’t adhere to the safety standards that we have in place.
The recent spate of boat accidents in Nigeria has increased with the incident on Tuesday.
After a boat accident in Sokoto in August, rescue workers announced they were looking for more than 40 people.
In Sokoto state, at least 16 farmers perished in a similar accident about a year prior when a wooden canoe that was being transported across a river to their rice fields capsized.
Source: Channels TV
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