A boat mishap has claimed 29 lives in Gausawa community, Malale Ward of Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State.
Alhaji Abdullahi Baba-Arah, Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m. when the boat, carrying 90 passengers including women and children, took off from Tungan Sule in Shagunu Ward and was heading to Dugga for a condolence visit.
According to him, the boat collided with a tree stump, leading to the tragedy.
Baba-Arah said: “As at the time of filling this report, 29 dead bodies have been recovered with 50 persons rescued alive while two people are still missing. Overloading and collision with the tree stump are believed to be the causes of the mishap.”
He confirmed that search and rescue operations were still ongoing.