11 FEARED DEAD AS BOAT CARRYING MOURNERS CAPSIZES IN BENUE
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
No fewer than 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, are feared dead after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred on Saturday evening as the passengers were returning from a burial ceremony.
A local resident, identified simply as Daniel, said the victims were travelling back to Daududawadawa community, an island settlement located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering in the North Bank area of Makurdi.
According to him, the boat was carrying more than 40 passengers when it overturned in the middle of the river between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. during a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds.
Confirming the incident, the Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante group in North Bank, Nura Umar, said the passengers had attended the burial of a woman from their community at Wadata.
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He explained that the deceased had earlier been taken to a private hospital in North Bank, where she died. Following her burial, relatives and sympathisers boarded a boat to return home when the accident occurred.
Umar said severe weather conditions triggered the mishap midway through the journey.
He disclosed that while more than 40 people were onboard, 11 were feared dead. Four bodies had been recovered and buried as of Sunday, while search efforts continued for the remaining victims.
He also revealed that one survivor lost a baby who had been strapped to her back during the accident.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received an official report on the incident.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, were unsuccessful.
The incident comes months after the Benue State Government introduced stricter safety measures aimed at reducing recurring boat accidents across the state’s waterways.
As part of the initiative launched earlier this year, authorities emphasised the compulsory use of life jackets by passengers and boat operators, among other safety requirements.
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