No fewer than 29 persons have lost their lives in a boat accident that occurred on Tuesday in Gausawa community, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The ill-fated boat, which reportedly had about 90 passengers on board, capsized around 11:30am while heading to Dugga community for a condolence visit.
It was gathered that the passengers, mostly women and children, had set off from Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward before tragedy struck.
According to eyewitnesses, the boat collided with a tree stump after being overloaded, a recurring cause of similar accidents in the state.
A source told PLATFORM TIMES that none of the passengers wore life jackets at the time of the incident, a situation that worsened the death toll.
“If they had life jackets on, more lives could have been saved. Unfortunately, many people in this area don’t like wearing them for reasons best known to them,” the source lamented.
Confirming the incident, the Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said rescue operations were still ongoing.
He explained that 29 corpses had been recovered, 50 passengers were rescued alive, while two persons remained missing.
“The accident happened on September 2 at about 11:30am. It was caused by overloading and a collision with a tree stump. As of now, 29 bodies have been recovered, 50 rescued alive, while search efforts continue for two missing passengers,” Baba-Arah stated.
This latest tragedy is the second boat accident in Niger State in 2025. In July, a similar mishap attributed to collision with a tree stump claimed several lives.
Despite repeated interventions by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), including the distribution of life jackets after the devastating Mokwa boat accident that killed over 200 people last year, residents and travellers along the state’s waterways have continued to ignore safety measures.
Meanwhile, rescue officials said search efforts would continue until the missing passengers are accounted for.
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