At least 15 people have reportedly lost their lives, while three others remain missing, after a boat capsized in Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The incident occurred on Friday when villagers fleeing bandit attacks attempted to cross a river at Nasarawar Kifi in Birnin Tudu ward.
Eyewitnesses said the victims, mostly women and children from Danmaga, Tungar Maigunya, and Nasarawar Kifi, rushed to the river in a bid to escape. The boat, which had a capacity of only 16 passengers, overturned during its third trip after two women forced themselves onboard despite it already being overloaded.
One eyewitness, Malam Bashiru, lamented that the community continues to lose lives yearly to such accidents due to inadequate transport facilities. He appealed for government and humanitarian support to provide more boats for villagers whose farming and trade rely heavily on water transportation.
The village head of Nasarawar Kifi, Alhaji Muhammadu Chigari, confirmed the tragedy, describing the atmosphere in the communities as one of grief. He revealed that the victims included eight housewives, three babies, and four youths, while local divers are still searching for the missing.
The deceased have since been buried in a mass funeral led by Liman Yahaya, in accordance with Islamic rites.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Sokoto Field Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Aliyu Shehu, confirmed the incident to Channels Television via telephone, though he could not verify the casualty figures.
“We learnt about the tragic incident today. The Zamfara Emergency Management Agency and our team will be visiting there tomorrow, because we can’t confirm the exact number of victims yet.
‘The incident didn’t happen in Gummi town; it happened in one village outside Gummi, so we don’t really have details until we get there tomorrow,” he added.