At least 46 persons have been confirmed dead in a boat accident that occurred in Gorau community, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed that 15 persons were rescued alive, while 16 others remain missing.
The boat, conveying 77 passengers, mainly farmers, women and children heading to their rice farms, capsized on Thursday morning.
Police spokesman, DSP Ahmed Rufai, who confirmed the development, said rescue operation was still ongoing.
Rufai said the operation involved local divers, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and the police.
“Forty-six bodies have been recovered so far, while 15 persons were rescued alive. There were 77 people on board when the accident occurred,” he said.
The cause of the mishap was yet to be established at press time.
A resident, who pleaded anonymity, said the incident threw the community into mourning.
The tragedy is coming exactly one year after a similar mishap in Kijio community, in the same council area.
In his reaction, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate in the state, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, described the incident as heartbreaking.
Dan’iya, in a statement by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, lamented that some of the victims were children aged 10 to 15 years.
While commending local divers and residents for their rescue efforts, he urged the state government and emergency agencies to deploy more personnel and equipment to the area, assess water transportation, enforce safety regulations and provide alternative crossings where necessary.
