PHOTOS: DEATHTOLL RISES TO 53 IN SOKOTO BOAT MISHAP
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The number of people who died in the boat accident at the Gorau crossing point in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State has gone up to 53 after more bodies were found in the river.
The sad event has left people in the area very upset, and families are worried and waiting for news about their loved ones who are still missing after the boat flipped while carrying people across the water.
Earlier, 48 bodies had been recovered from the scene. The figure rose to 53 as rescue teams intensified efforts to locate victims believed to have been trapped or swept away by the river currents.
A resident who lost two brothers in the accident said rescue operations were suspended on Thursday night due to darkness and difficult operating conditions.
According to him, rescuers were expected to resume the search on Friday morning, with 53 bodies recovered so far.
The boat was said to have around 75 to 80 people on board, including the village leader from Nabatsami Gorau, when it suddenly overturned, causing everyone on it to fall into the water.
The exact reasons for the accident were still not clear at the time of the report, but people thought it might have been because the boat was too full.
Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, the Head of Operations at NEMA’s Sokoto office, said they had found some bodies but did not share the exact number because the rescue effort was still in progress.
Alhaji Aminu Liman Bodinga, the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on SEMA, mentioned that teams from NEMA, SEMA, NIWA, security forces, the Nigerian Red Cross, and local divers were working together to look for the missing people.
Bodinga said the emergency agencies were also working to establish the actual number of people who boarded the boat before the fatal journey, stressing that determining the passenger manifest was critical to the search and rescue operation.
He said the boat operator and the village head were among those who survived the tragedy, while the recovered bodies had been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.
The latest disaster has again highlighted the dangers confronting riverine communities that depend on poorly equipped water transport for daily movement, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and waterways become more hazardous.
Goronyo Local Government, located along the Rima River, has several communities whose residents rely heavily on wooden boats to cross waterways, making strict enforcement of inland waterway safety regulations critical.
Emergency management authorities have repeatedly identified overloading, the use of rickety and non-standard boats, failure to provide life jackets and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations as major factors behind recurring boat disasters across Nigeria.
The Goronyo tragedy has therefore renewed calls for stronger safety measures on Nigeria’s inland waterways, including mandatory use of life jackets, strict passenger limits, certification of boats and operators, improved rescue infrastructure and stronger enforcement of navigation regulations to prevent further loss of lives.
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