The death toll in the boat accident that happened in Sokoto has risen to 52, with many families losing their relatives.
The boat capsized in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of the North West State, while transporting farmers and farm hands to rice farms on Wednesday morning.
Within Nigeria had reported on Thursday that over 40 people lost their lives in the accident, with more than 70 people on board, including several children, mostly girls, when the boat crashed.
11 family members were among those who lost their lives in the mishap as the death toll rises to 52, with relevant authorities working to establish the actual number and identity of the victims.
The Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Sokoto, Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, said 52 bodies had so far been buried.
He noted that a meeting will be held with local authorities to ascertain the actual number of the victims.
“We are about to meet with officials of the sister agency and the local government officials to know the exact number of the victims,” he said.
Also, the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Abdullahi Ghani, said authorities were at the scene assessing the situation and working to determine the exact number of affected persons.
“Right now all the concerned authorities are there assessing the situation, trying to know the exact number of the affected persons. No official data yet,” the agency said.
Rescue operations were still ongoing as of the time of filing this report, with local divers and residents searching the water for those still missing.
How I survived – Village head
The village head of Gorau, Malam Aliyu Na-Batsami, who was one of the passengers on the boat, narrated how it capsized and he survived the crash.
He said the boat capsized after reaching the middle of the waterway, adding that he only survived because he was able to stay afloat after grabbing a sack that had floated to the surface
“There were more than 70 of us in the boat. Most of us were farmers going to our farms to work. There were also children among us, most of them girls. By God’s grace, some people who had entered the water eventually rescued me,” he said.
He said the incident was the first boat accident in his area but had resulted in a huge loss of lives.
“There is one household that lost 11 children. But I did not lose anyone from my household because my children had already crossed the river before the incident,” he told Daily Trust.
One of the residents who participated in the rescue operation, Mallam Ya’u ECG, disclosed that the boat developed a fault shortly after leaving the shore, causing it to capsize with the passengers on board.
Another resident, Usman Yusuf Shanka, said he lost his younger brother’s wife, Jamila Aminu, and her two children, Yasir Aminu and Sani Aminu.
He also identified another child from the family, Umar Muhammad, as one of those who died.
