At least 41 lives were lost in a tragic boat accident in Gummi town, the headquarters of Gummi Local Government Area in Zamfara State, News About Nigeria reports.
The boat was said to be carrying 53 farmers heading to their fields on Saturday.
“Only 12 of the passengers, including the boat’s captain, were rescued alive, while the remaining 41 drowned,” an eyewitness, Abubakar Muhammad, told newsmen.
Muhammad was quoted saying, “When the boat capsized today, I was one of those who were present near the river close to Gummi town.
“Immediately, the boat capsized. It sank into the river with all the passengers.
“We did our best to rescue them, but unfortunately, we were only able to bring out 12 persons alive, including the captain of the boat.
“The bodies of the other 41 passengers were evacuated out of the water.”
According to Alhaji Na’Allah Musa, Sole Administrator of Gummi LGA, the boat’s captain had cautioned passengers to reduce their numbers before the ill-fated journey.
He said they disregarded the warning, leading to the vessel becoming overloaded and ultimately capsizing into the river.
According to him, the captain of the boat told the passengers that some of them must come down, but all of them refused to listen.
“There were many people on the boat, and the captain did all he could to reduce the number, but nobody wanted to be left behind,” he said.
“When he did all he could to reduce the number but failed, he was left with no option but to start going.
“Only four of the passengers were able to swim out of the river, while the rescue operators were able to save others.
“There were many casualties, but actually I can’t say exactly how many of them have died because we are still looking for other missing passengers.”
