By Kazeem Ugbodaga
At least 46 bodies have been recovered and 15 people rescued after a boat carrying 77 passengers capsized in Gorau, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, on Thursday.
The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the figures, saying rescue teams were still searching for 16 passengers who remained unaccounted for as of Thursday evening.
The boat was reportedly carrying farmers and other passengers travelling to rice farms when it capsized shortly after setting out from the community.
Police spokesman, DSP Ahmed Rufai, said 77 people were on board when the accident occurred.
“Forty-six corpses have so far been recovered, while 15 persons were rescued alive,” Rufai said, adding that the search for the remaining passengers was continuing.
The rescue operation involves the police, the National Emergency Management Agency, the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency and local divers.
The cause of the accident had not been established as of Thursday evening.
Residents said the accident occurred on Thursday morning and that local divers and emergency responders moved quickly to the area to search for survivors and recover bodies.
The incident has plunged Gorau into mourning, with families waiting anxiously for information about relatives who may still be missing.
The scale of the tragedy was also reflected in reports from other news organisations, although casualty figures varied as rescue and recovery operations continued. Reuters initially reported that around 40 bodies had been recovered, while later reporting put the death toll higher.
The Associated Press separately reported that an official of the National Inland Waterways Authority put the death toll at 47, underscoring the fact that casualty figures were still developing during the ongoing recovery operation.
The passengers were reportedly travelling to farms, with some accounts indicating that children were among those on board. Sokoto State Deputy Governor Dan’Iya described the incident as a “devastating tragedy” and expressed sympathy to affected families.
The accident has also renewed concerns about safety on Nigeria’s inland waterways, where overcrowding, poor maintenance and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations have been associated with repeated boat disasters.
The latest tragedy occurred almost exactly a year after another boat accident in Kijio community, also in Goronyo Local Government Area, according to local reports.
