Thirteen bodies have so far been recovered following the boat accident that occurred in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday. Several individuals are still unaccounted for.
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba Arah, confirmed the number of casualties to journalists in Minna on Sunday, noting that efforts were ongoing to locate more victims.
“So far, we have been able to recover 13 corpses while search for other passengers is still on.
We are yet to determine the remote cause of the mishap but we will get the details later.
Search for other corpses is still ongoing as villagers in the area are helping out in this regard,” the Director General stated.
According to earlier reports, the incident took place around 11:45 am on Saturday near Kwata village, when traders transporting goods were en route to Zumba for the weekly market.
Some passengers, including the boat operator, were rescued immediately. One of the survivors, who received treatment at the General Hospital, Kuta, has since been discharged.
Local divers and volunteers remain at the scene, continuing rescue operations in the hopes of recovering more victims—whether dead or alive.
While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be confirmed, past incidents on market days have often been blamed on overloading and non-compliance with safety regulations.
Despite several interventions, including the distribution of life jackets by the state government, N-HYPPADEC, and NIWA, enforcement of safety protocols has remained weak.