By Correspondent in Minna.
Forty-nine villagers, mostly women traders and their children, have been rescued after the boat in which they were being ferried across neighbouring village market through river Kaduna in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state, north central Nigeria capzised over the weekend.
One of the traders, our correspondent learnt, died before being rescued when the boat said to have been overloaded with over fifty passengers, beyond capacity capzised as it was being paddled to cross Zumba from Kwata village for the Saturday market.
Alhaji Isah Umar, the ‘Sarkin Ruwa’ (leader of divers) in the area, who confirmed the accident and the rescue of 49 passengers to journalists through phone call yesterday (Sunday), also explained that only one person died.
According to Umar, “The passengers who are mainly women traders were on their way to the weekly Kwata/Zumba market in Shiroro Local Government when the boat on which they were being ferried across capsized”.
Apart from the one life lost, Isah Umar who debunked reports that no fewer than 30 lives were lost told ….. that cattle dealers on the trip lost three cows which got drowned while one cow was rescued.
He said, “I am not aware of the loss of 30 people in the accident as claimed in some reports. We were able to successfully rescue almost all the passengers on the boat except for one dead body that was recovered and that of two cows”.
Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) also yesterday confirmed that only forty-nine passengers were rescued from the disaster and all the victims in stable conditions contrary to reports that 30 lives were lost.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
