Boat mishap: 7 dead, 136 missing in Kebbi

At least seven people have died and seven  hospitalised in Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State, after a boat carrying about 150 passengers returning from Malali Market  capsized along River Niger.

The Coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in charge of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Alhaji Sulaiman Muhammad, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ngaski on Saturday. He said fishermen and officials of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were making efforts to rescue the missing passengers.

“As soon as we were informed of the mishap, we put a call to the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority to help rescue the missing passengers.

“All the people on board were missing, but as search intensified, into the deeper part of the river, 14 people were discovered; seven dead and seven taken to Ngaski Hospital,” he said.

NAN gathered that the accident occurred when the boat on transit, carrying 150 passengers, hit a branch of tree in the water and capsized.