JUST IN: Three missing, seven rescued in Bauchi boat accident
A boat accident occurred on Saturday in the Zindiwa River, located in the Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The accident, according to the African Independent Television, left three people missing and seven others rescued.
Eyewitnesses reported that the boat, carrying 10 passengers, capsized around 4pm as it attempted to cross the river.
The boat was being used as an alternative mode of transportation due to flooding that had cut off the main road, forcing residents to rely on boats to reach their destinations..
A rescue team from a nearby village responded swiftly, managing to save seven passengers.
However, the search continues for the three individuals still unaccounted for.
The cause of the accident remains unclear, though some eyewitnesses suspected that overloading may have played a role in the tragedy.
In September 2022, no fewer than five people were killed when the boat they were in capsized at a river in Jama’are town in Jama’are Local Government Area of Bauchi State as a result of a heavy rainfall and windstorm.
PUNCH Online reported a twin incident in 2020.
The Permanent Secretary, Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Shehu Ningi, told the News Agency of Nigeria in May 2020 that about 15 people were killed in a crowded canoe accident at Gwaskaram village, Bauchi Local Government Area.
Meanwhile in September of the same year, no fewer than 18 people were killed and five seriously injured in the state after a canoe carrying 23 farmers capsized.
