No fewer than 54 bodies have been recovered from the boat accident involving about 200 traders in Kogi State.
The figure was disclosed on SNEMA recovers 54 bodies from scene of capsized boat; many more remain missingaturday by the Head of Operations covering Kogi State at the National Emergency Management Agency, Justin Uwazuruonye.
Uwazuruonye said, “The figure of the recovered bodies as of today (Saturday), according to the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross, and NEMA is 54. They were recovered dead.
“We tried to know if they could make the manifest available, but they said there was no manifest, and if there is no manifest, we can’t say the exact number of passengers on the boat. Besides, it was a night journey, and none of them had life jackets on.”
The National Inland Waterways Authority confirmed the boat accident on Friday.
The Head of NIWA’s Media Department, Suleman Makama, stated that the traders were travelling to a market in Niger State on the boat when it capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger.
Meanwhile, Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has called for inter-agency collaboration to prevent waterways accidents.
