The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that the death toll from Tuesday’s tragic boat accident in Gausawa community, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, has climbed to 30, with 58 passengers rescued so far.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the agency disclosed that search and rescue operations remain ongoing. According to eyewitnesses, the ill-fated vessel had nearly 90 people on board when disaster struck.
“So far, 58 passengers have been rescued, while over 30 lives have been lost, as one additional body was recovered this afternoon. Several other passengers remain unaccounted for,” NEMA stated.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accident was triggered by overloading, worsened by a collision with a submerged tree stump along the waterway.
NEMA’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, has directed the agency’s Minna Operations Office to intensify rescue efforts.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) is leading the operation, working closely with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), local divers, and community volunteers.
Meanwhile, NIWA has expressed concern over the rising spate of boat tragedies in the country, attributing many of them to disregard for safety regulations. Its General Manager for Business Development, Olawale Adetola, lamented the preventable loss of lives on Nigeria’s waterways.
Tuesday’s tragedy adds to the growing list of fatal boat accidents in recent months. In August, more than 40 passengers went missing after a boat mishap in Sokoto.
Just a year earlier, at least 16 farmers perished when their canoe capsized en route to their rice fields in the same state.
Experts continue to blame poor regulation and non-compliance with safety standards for the recurring disasters, warning that urgent reforms are needed to prevent further loss of lives.
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