One Dead, Eight Missing In Benue Boat Accident
One person has been confirmed dead and eight missing after a boat capsized on Buruku River in the Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident, according to sources, happened around 11 am on Saturday when about 200 people, who had gone for a burial ceremony, were returning back to base.
The boat, it was gathered, was also carrying several motorcycles at the time of the incident.
The Information Officer for the State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Tema Ager, confirmed the incident on Saturday.
According to him, one person was confirmed dead, eight missing, three receiving treatment at the hospital, while the rest were rescued.
Ager disclosed that the accident occurred when the engine of the boat developed a fault close to the shore, causing the boat to start sinking before capsizing.
Confirming the incident earlier, the Chairman of Buruku LGA, Raymond Zege, said the victims were mourners from neighbouring Gboko LGA.
According to him, the mourners had embarked on the journey by boat, but the engine of the boat developed a fault while they were still on the water.
He said that the situation became difficult as the occupants, including the boat driver, struggled to manoeuvre the boat to ensure it remained afloat.
He said, “Unfortunately, due to overloading and the weight of the wooden boat, the vehicle and the others that came to rescue the passengers sank.”
“They are people from Gboko LGA; they went for a burial to cross to the other side, but on their way back, they overloaded the boat and the engine failed. Most of them are not conversant with water sound and they became panic and, in the process, began to struggle.
“But before they could get to the other boat coming to rescue them, they ran into water waves, and the weight of the boat made it to sink. We don’t know the exact number of passengers missing.”
When further asked about the number of people so far rescued, Zege said, “There are over 70 people on board, but we have not seen about six persons.”
The chairman, however, raised concerns about safety compliance among commuters, adding that authorities had provided life jackets for commuters, with the intention that every person using the boat should wear a life jacket.
“But the enforcement of life jackets has become difficult because some passengers always complain about health-related discomfort or other reasons for not wearing the jackets. This has made enforcement difficult for maritime personnel.
In the statement, the Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Denis Iyaghigba, said he had received preliminary reports of the unfortunate boat mishap.
The commissioner said the preliminary information available to him indicated that the boat was ferrying passengers when a strong water current swept it into an abandoned barge at a corner of the river, which caused the boat to tumble.
“I wish to assure members of the public, particularly families of those who may have been aboard the boat, to remain calm and await verified information from the appropriate authorities. No effort will be spared to ensure their safety.
“I have directed the boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and assist in the ongoing search and rescue operation,” the Commissioner said in the statement.
‘200 passengers on board ill-fated boat’
Meanwhile, an official of SEMA, who gave an eyewitness account, said that the wooden boat was a new one, which was tested on Friday.
The SEMA official, who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak officially on the incident, gave the account of the boat accident as narrated by one of the victims of the boat accident, who is an okada rider.
He said the victim claimed that there were 32 motorcycles on board.
He said, “One of the victims, who is also an okada rider, said that they (mourners) were coming back in the early hours of today (Saturday) in a new boat that was just constructed, and it’s bigger than other boats. It was test-run yesterday (Friday) and was in good shape
“There were 32 okada riders (motorcyclists) on board with their motorcycles, and each of the riders carried three people, meaning that one motorcycle was carrying four persons, including the rider.
“If you look at that, it gives us about 138. Aside from this figure, there were other mourners who also joined the riders in the boat. Other people waiting at the waterside also joined them. So, one of the victims, a rider, said that about 200 passengers were on board.
