SIX FEARED DEAD, SEVERAL MISSING IN BENUE BOAT MISHAP AS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL
Read Time:2 Minute, 16 Second
At least six persons, most of them students returning to school, have been confirmed dead following a boat mishap at the Buruku crossing in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident occurred late on Monday night when a wooden boat conveying passengers across the river to the Buruku end capsized midway through the journey. Several other passengers are still missing, while rescue efforts are ongoing.
Sources in the area said the tragedy happened around 11:00 p.m. The boat was reportedly transporting both passengers and vehicles when it sank. An eyewitness attributed the mishap to overloading, describing it as an avoidable disaster.
“The boat is a wooden one, and it was carrying passengers and cars across the river to Buruku when it suddenly sank. There were over 45 people on board, including vehicles. It was simply overloaded,” the eyewitness said.
He added that about 35 passengers were rescued alive, while six deaths have so far been confirmed. “Others are still unaccounted for. Most of the victims were students returning to schools in Gboko and nearby communities. This tragedy could have been avoided,” he lamented.
The eyewitness also decried what he described as recurring negligence on the waterways, noting that similar incidents occur almost yearly without lasting preventive measures.
Reacting to the incident, the Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Denis Iyaghigba, said he received the news with “grave concern and deep distress,” describing it as a painful reminder of the dangers associated with unsafe and unregulated inland water transport.
In a statement issued by his Media Aide, Lubem Gena, the commissioner extended his condolences to the families of the victims and the Buruku community. He disclosed that a full-scale investigation had been launched to determine both the immediate and remote causes of the accident, including possible safety violations, operational negligence, or environmental factors.
Iyaghigba said the ministry had mobilised relevant stakeholders to intensify rescue and recovery operations, assuring that all passengers would be accounted for. He warned that recklessness and disregard for safety standards would no longer be tolerated, adding that enforcement would be strengthened through vessel inspections, operator licensing, passenger safety education, and closer monitoring of river transport activities across the state.
READ MORE…
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration to safeguarding lives and property, stressing that “economic development must never come at the expense of human safety.”
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Mr. Raymond Zege, were unsuccessful as of press time. Similarly, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, who promised to respond to inquiries, had yet to do so.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0