…50 rescued, 2 still missing

Twenty nine bodies have been recovered and buried following a boat accident in Gausawa waters around Malale area/ward of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

The incident which occurred on Tuesday morning, according to the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), had ninety people including women and children onboard.

Confirming the incident in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Hussain and made available to newsmen, the Director General of the NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba Arah said the passengers were on their way to Dugga for a condolence visit.

According to him “We received report of boat mishap at a community called Gausawa in Malale area/ward of Borgu LGA which had 90 passengers.

“So far, 50 persons were rescued alive while 2 persons are still missing.

“Our Desk Officer who led the search and rescue operations, said the boat took off from a community called Tugan Sule in Shagunu when the incident occurred at about 11:30am.”

While attributing the cause to overloading and collision with a tree stump, the DG said, 29 dead bodies have been recovered and a mass burial has been conducted for them.

Furthermore, he stated that, search and rescue operations are still on going for possible recovery of missing persons.