Many people are missing after a wooden boat carrying more than 70 mourners and over 30 motorcycles overturned while crossing the River Katsina-Ala in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria.
The incident reportedly happened around 11am on Saturday at the Buruku river crossing point.
The passengers, most of whom were said to be from Mbayon in Gboko Local Government Area, were reportedöy returning from a burial of a relative on the opposite side of the river when the boat capsized.
Several occupants were reportedly rescued from the water, while search and rescue personnel continued efforts to locate those who remained unaccounted for as of Saturday afternoon.
An eyewitness said the wooden boat was severely overloaded with passengers and motorcycles before its engine reportedly developed a fault during the journey.
According to the eyewitness, “The boat was overloaded with many people and over 30 motorcycles, and they were coming from the Logo LGA side of the River at about 11am when the incident happened.
“Many persons have been rescued, but as we speak, I cannot tell you the actual number of persons that have not been seen or rescued from the river because the search is still ongoing. But many persons have not been seen as we speak.”
The Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Raymond Zege, confirmed the mishap, saying the passengers were mourners from Gboko who had travelled across the river for a burial ceremony.
Zege said the boat was carrying more than 70 people when its engine stopped working in the middle of the return trip, causing panic among those on board.
“The victims were mourners from Gboko who went for a burial on the other side of the river.
“They boarded a boat which was overloaded with over 70 persons. In the middle of the journey the engine of the boat failed, and they became panicky.
“And they also ran into a heavy wave, and the boat capsized before the boat that was sent to rescue them got to them,” he said-
The council chairman said authorities had yet to determine the precise number of missing persons, although more than 60 passengers had reportedly been rescued.
“At the time we speak, we do not know the number of persons missing. So far we have not seen about six persons, but we have rescued over 60. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
Zege urged passengers using the waterway to observe maritime safety guidelines, particularly by wearing life jackets during crossings.
He disclosed that the local government had supplied life jackets for people using the route, but said enforcement had sometimes been difficult because some commuters declined to use the safety equipment.
“People can be very difficult. There is a law, and we have provided life jackets for every commuter crossing that route. When they come and the maritime workers try to enforce the law, some commuters complain that they have health issues or that they do not want to share life jackets used by other people.
“We have provided the jackets, and the state government is also supporting efforts to ensure that maritime safety regulations are enforced,” he said.