Boat with over 100 passengers capsizes in Taraba

A boat carrying over 100 passengers capsized mid-water at Benue River on Saturday. Daily Trust learnt that traders, women and children, heading for Binnari…

Daily Trust learnt that traders, women and children, heading for Binnari town in Karim-Lamido local government area of the state were on the ill-fated boat.

Many of the passengers were returning from the Mayoreneyo fish market in Ardo-Kola LGA.

The boat left Mayoreneyo local jetty at about 3.30 pm and capsized 40 minutes later, according to sources.

A resident of Mayoreneyo, Musa Mayoreneyo, told Daily Trust that the ill-fated boat had earlier conveyed the passengers from Binnari to Mayoreneyo.

In a telephone interview, a resident of Binnari, said, “As l am talking to you now, only the bodies of two persons were recovered by local divers.”

A source at the Mayoreneyo local jetty told our reporter that none of the passengers had life jackets when the incident occurred.

Acting chairman of inland water transporters in Taraba state, Jidda Mayoreneyo, told Daily Trust that about 15 bodies were recovered close to the scene.