At least 52 people have been buried following a boat accident in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, with 11 members of one family reportedly among the victims.
The boat, which was conveying farmers and other workers to their rice farms, capsized at about 8:30am on Wednesday while crossing a waterway.
More than 70 people were said to be on board, including several children, most of them girls.
The Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency in Sokoto, Tukur Abubakar, said the agency had yet to establish the exact number of people involved in the tragedy.
He, however, confirmed that 52 bodies had so far been recovered and buried.
“We are about to meet with officials of the sister agency and the local government officials to know the exact number of the victims,” Abubakar said.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, Abdullahi Ghani, also said officials were at the scene assessing the situation and working to establish the number of affected persons.
“Right now all the concerned authorities are there assessing the situation, trying to know the exact number of the affected persons. No official data yet,” the agency said.
Rescue operations continued as of the time of filing the report, with local divers and residents searching the waterway for passengers who might still be missing.
The village head of Gorau, Malam Aliyu Na-Batsami, who survived the accident, said the boat overturned after reaching the middle of the waterway.
“There were more than 70 of us in the boat. Most of us were farmers going to our farms to work. There were also children among us, most of them girls,” he said.
Narrating how he survived, Na-Batsami said he struggled to remain afloat after the boat capsized until he managed to hold on to a sack floating on the water.
“By God’s grace, some people who had entered the water eventually rescued me,” he said.
The traditional leader described the incident as the first boat accident recorded in the area but lamented the heavy loss of lives.
He disclosed that one household lost 11 children in the tragedy.
“There is one household that lost 11 children. But I did not lose anyone from my household because my children had already crossed the river before the incident,” he said.
Na-Batsami explained that he had remained behind to attend to community matters, including naming ceremonies and dispute resolution, before heading to the farm.
A resident involved in the rescue operation, Ya’u ECG, said the boat reportedly developed a fault shortly after leaving the riverbank before overturning.
Another resident, Usman Yusuf Shanka, said his younger brother’s wife, Jamila Aminu, and her two children, Yasir Aminu and Sani Aminu, were among those who died.
He also identified Umar Muhammad, another child from the family, as a victim.
Shanka appealed to the government to provide a safer means of transportation for farmers who regularly cross the waterway to reach their farms.
“We are calling on the government to take action on the dam by providing a safer means of crossing, including constructing a bridge, because farmers have to pass through this place to reach their farms,” he said.
Another resident, Attahiru Iliyasu, who participated in the rescue efforts, said several of his relatives, including his nephew, were killed in the accident.
Meanwhile, the member representing Goronyo Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Nasiru Adamu, attributed the accident to overcrowding.
According to the lawmaker, the boat operator claimed he had attempted to stop passengers from overloading the vessel but was ignored.
“When we asked him why he allowed over 70 people to board the boat, he said he did his best to stop them from overcrowding the boat, but they refused to follow his instructions,” Adamu said.
He urged residents to exercise caution when using waterways and avoid overcrowding boats.
Adamu recalled that a similar boat accident occurred last year at Kojo in Goronyo, resulting in several deaths.
The latest tragedy has also renewed concerns over the effectiveness of previous measures introduced by the Sokoto State Government to improve waterway safety.
Last year, the government distributed 20 motorised boats and 2,000 life jackets to communities that depend heavily on waterways for transportation and access to farms, markets and neighbouring settlements.
The distribution took place at Dundaye village in Wamakko Local Government Area, where Governor Ahmed Aliyu said the initiative was designed to protect the lives and property of residents who depend on waterways.
Aliyu had also warned boat operators against overloading and directed the benefiting local government councils to ensure the maintenance and security of the boats.
However, Adamu said the intervention had not reached Gorau.
“Gorau had not received the engine-powered boats and life jackets reportedly purchased and distributed by the Sokoto State Government to communities located along waterways,” he said.
Authorities and local residents continued search and rescue efforts while efforts were being made to determine the final number of victims and missing passengers.