By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
SOKOTO: The death toll from the boat mishap at the Gorau crossing point in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State has risen to 53, following the recovery of more bodies from the river.
The tragedy has plunged communities in the area into mourning, with families anxiously awaiting information on relatives still unaccounted for after the boat overturned while conveying passengers across the waterway.
Earlier, 48 bodies had been recovered from the scene. The figure rose to 53 as rescue teams intensified efforts to locate victims believed to have been trapped or swept away by the river currents.
A resident who lost two brothers in the accident said rescue operations were suspended on Thursday night due to darkness and difficult operating conditions.
According to him, rescuers were expected to resume the search on Friday morning, with 53 bodies recovered so far.
The boat was reportedly carrying between 75 and 80 passengers, including the village head of Nabatsami Gorau, when it suddenly capsized, throwing those on board into the water.
The exact circumstances surrounding the incident remained unclear as of press time, although overloading was suspected as one of the possible factors.
The Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sokoto Operations Office, Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, confirmed the recovery of bodies but declined to give an exact figure, citing the ongoing emergency response operation.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Aminu Liman Bodinga, said personnel from NEMA, SEMA, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), security agencies and the Nigerian Red Cross Society, alongside local divers, were involved in the search for missing passengers.
Bodinga said the emergency agencies were also working to establish the actual number of people who boarded the boat before the fatal journey, stressing that determining the passenger manifest was critical to the search and rescue operation.
He said the boat operator and the village head were among those who survived the tragedy, while the recovered bodies had been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.
The latest disaster has again highlighted the dangers confronting riverine communities that depend on poorly equipped water transport for daily movement, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and waterways become more hazardous.
Goronyo Local Government, located along the Rima River, has several communities whose residents rely heavily on wooden boats to cross waterways, making strict enforcement of inland waterway safety regulations critical.
Emergency management authorities have repeatedly identified overloading, the use of rickety and non-standard boats, failure to provide life jackets and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations as major factors behind recurring boat disasters across Nigeria.
The Goronyo tragedy has therefore renewed calls for stronger safety measures on Nigeria’s inland waterways, including mandatory use of life jackets, strict passenger limits, certification of boats and operators, improved rescue infrastructure and stronger enforcement of navigation regulations to prevent further loss of lives.
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