Many feared deaths in the Niger Boat Incudment

Many people were feared dead in a boat accident on the Shiroro river on Saturday afternoon.

Sundry Media Reports said that most of the deceased were women and children.

According to reports, the accident occurred when a wooden passenger boat turned upside down near Zumba in the area of the local government of Shiroro in the state of the Niger.

Witnesses said that the boat hit a submerged tree and separated in two, throwing everything on board in the river.

The panic and confusion followed with the passengers who fought to remain afloat in the rapid movement.

“As soon as he hit the tree underwater, he simply broke,” said a source near the Zumba market, who added that the boat was full of people and goods related to the market.

At the time of the presentation of this report, the exact number of victims remained unknown but local divers had launched a frenetic research and rescue operation.

The accident occurred a few days after the National Inland Waterways Authority (Niwa) launched the awareness campaign for the rescue trip and the safety tagged “no rescue jacket, no boarding” through the river communities in the state of the Niger to reduce the misadventures of the boats and improve navigable safety.

None of the passengers wore rescue jackets despite Niwa’s stand on zero tolerance for not using rescue jackets.

The conclave reports that efforts are underway to recover the bodies and seek possible survivors.

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