Tragedy struck late Tuesday evening when a passenger boat transporting over 300 individuals, capsized during a journey to celebrate Maulid, leaving at least, 150 passengers missing in the Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State.
NaijaOnPoint.com.ng (NOP) learnt that the tragic incident occurred between Mundi Community to Gbajibo Community.
Confirming the incident, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, in a statement issued on Wednesday, stated that rescue operations are currently in progress to find additional survivors.
Baba-Arah indicated that NSEMA received notification of the boat accident that took place on the evening of October 1, 2024, at approximately 8:30 pm, along the River Niger, upstream of the Jebba Dam, near Gbajibo Community in Mokwa LGA.
He said: “The boat, which was transporting about 300 passengers, mainly women and children from Mundi Community, was en route to Gbajibo for the Maulid celebration.
“NSEMA is coordinating search and rescue operations in partnership with the State Ministry of Transport, Mokwa Local Government Emergency Committee, local divers, and other community volunteers.
“Thanks to the swift response of the local volunteers, over 150 persons have been rescued alive so far.”