At least six persons lost their lives and five went missing in a Friday boat mishap at Gbara village of Mokwa local council, Niger State
WikkiTimes learnt that the boat was ferrying passengers from Danchitagi market in Lavun LGA to Gbara when it capsized.
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A source, Musa Alhaji Suleiman, in a telephone conversation told WikkiTimes a search-and-rescue mission is ongoing for the missing persons.
“Out of 40 passengers in the boat, only 7 seven persons could be rescued,”Suleiman said. “The victims were said to be coming from Danchitagi market before the unfortunate incidents occurred.”
Further, Sulaiman disclosed that the missing passengers are from Muregi, Gazhe, Gbara, Tadima. Although, confirmation about other villages is still on.
Meanwhile, the rescued passengers are receiving medical treatment at Gbara rural hospital, WikkiTimes learnt.
Ibrahim Hussain, the Spokesman of Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed the incident, saying six dead bodies were recovered.
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His words: “NSEMA has received a report of a boat mishap that occurred yesterday evening around 6:30pm at Gbara area of Mokwa LGA (River Kaduna).
“The boat which took off from Lanchikagi village of Lavun LGA was heading to Gbara village.
“There were 48 passengers on board and they were said to be returning from Danchitagi village market (Lavun LGA) which comes up every Friday.
“As at the time of filing this report, 37 persons survived, 6 dead bodies were recovered and 5 persons still missing. The cause of the incident was as a result of heavy downpour which was accompanied by violent windstorm.”