30 drown in fresh Kebbi boat accident
30 drown in fresh Kebbi boat accident
On Monday, a boat transporting over 50 passengers collapsed in Yauri Emirate Council, Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing at least 30 traders.
Bala Yauri, Chairman of Yauri LGA, confirmed the heinous occurrence to Voice of America over the phone, saying the act has left the residents of the local government in deep sadness.
Local divers are working hard to find the bodies of the people who drowned in the river, he reported.
“From the information I gathered, more than fifty persons were involved in the accident while some of them escaped but as of now that I am talking to you, over thirty of them as still trapped in the river.
“We have mobilised the local divers to try and locate bodies of the victims for proper evacuation and possibly befitting burials in accordance with Islamic rights.
“The boat as I heard carried passengers who are mostly traders from either Niger State or Kebbi State alongside foodstuffs for sell before the unfortunate incident”
In addition, Alhaji Sani Yauri, a witness to the incident, verified that the disaster was caused by a strong wind, which led the driver to lose control of the boat.
“I was there when the incident happened, it was as a result of heavy wind which resulted in the driver of the boat losing control and it capsized immediately ”
Meanwhile, attempts to communicate with the state spokesman of the Nigerian Police Force, DSP Nafiu Abubakar, were unsuccessful because he did not answer calls or text messages made to him at the time of filing this story.
