By Peter Duru, Makurdi
The fate of more than 70 mourners remained uncertain yesterday after a wooden boat conveying them and over 30 motorcycles across the River Katsina-Ala at the Buruku Local Government Area crossing point in Benue State capsized.
The incident occurred at about 11 am as the mourners, said to be mostly from Mbayon in Gboko LGA, were returning from the burial of a relation on the other side of the river.
Several passengers were reportedly rescued, while search and rescue operations continued Saturday afternoon for those still unaccounted for.
An eyewitness said the boat was heavily overloaded when its engine reportedly developed a fault midway through the journey.
“The boat was overloaded with many people and over 30 motorcycles. They were coming from the Logo LGA side of the river at about 11 am when the incident happened,” the eyewitness said.
“Many persons have been rescued, but as we speak, I cannot tell you the actual number of persons that have not been seen or rescued from the river because the search is still ongoing. Many persons have not been seen as we speak.”
Confirming the incident, Buruku LGA Chairman, Mr Raymond Zege, said the victims were mourners from Gboko who had crossed the river to attend a burial.
Zege said the boat was carrying more than 70 people when its engine failed during the return journey, causing panic among the passengers.
The council boss said the exact number of missing passengers had yet to be established, adding that more than 60 people had been rescued.
“At the time we speak, we do not know the number of persons missing. So far, we have not seen about six persons, but we have rescued over 60. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
Zege appealed to residents and other commuters using the waterway to comply with maritime safety regulations, particularly the use of life jackets.
He said the local government had provided life jackets for commuters using the route, but some passengers often resisted efforts by maritime officials to enforce their use.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Hon. Denis Iyaghigba, confirmed the incident in a statement he personally signed on Saturday.
Iyaghigba said he had received preliminary reports of the mishap and urged families and members of the public to remain calm while authorities continued efforts to establish the number of persons involved and rescue those who might still be trapped or missing.
“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”, he said.
As of the time of filing this report, search and rescue operations were still ongoing, while authorities had yet to release a final figure for the number of passengers aboard the boat and those still missing.
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