Many missing as boat carrying 22 passengers capsizes in Niger
A boat carrying about 22 passengers from Kasabu in Agwara LGA of Niger to Yauri in Kebbi has capsized.
Salihu Garba, the director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this in Minna on Monday.
He said the agency received a report of the boat mishap on Monday between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
According to him, a survivor of the mishap said the boat had about 22 passengers on board. He said search and rescue operations were ongoing by the local divers and boat owners under the supervision of the agency’s desk officer in Agwara.
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He said no passenger had been recovered yet, adding that the mishap happened on Yauri market day.
Mr Garba added that only after the market would families be able to declare their missing relatives, noting that it takes about 24 hours for any drowned person to surface atop the water.
He attributed the cause of the incident to water hyacinth coupled with strong waves.
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