Over 30 feared dead after Benue boat mishap

Abimbola Joseph

More than 30 people are feared dead after a wooden canoe capsized while ferrying passengers and motorcycles across River Katsina-Ala in Buruku, Benue State.

The incident occurred around midday last Saturday at the Buruku crossing point, with the canoe reportedly carrying more than 100 people. Several passengers and 38 motorcycles were trapped underwater.

The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said the search operation had entered its third day, with two more bodies recovered on Sunday.

The agency’s Head of Information Unit, Tema Ager, said the prolonged period the victims had spent underwater meant the operation could no longer strictly be described as a rescue mission.

“The ongoing operation can no longer be called rescue because anybody you find underwater now after three days is a dead person,” Ager said.

He said most of those on board were mourners returning from a burial and that the agency was working with surviving motorcycle riders to establish the number of missing passengers.

According to Ager, 38 motorcycles went into the river, while each motorcycle was reportedly carrying three people. This put the number of people associated with the motorcycles at not less than 114, although it did not represent a confirmed passenger count.

He said 10 of the submerged motorcycles had so far been recovered, leaving 28 still underwater.

“The 38 motorcycles involved were carrying three people each. If you put that number together, you will have not less than 114 people,” he said.

Ager, however, said the actual number of people who boarded the canoe could be higher because some mourners had travelled independently to the burial and joined the boat at the riverbank on their return.

He said some passengers could not be accounted for because not everyone who boarded the canoe was recorded.

“So it is likely that 30-something people are still underwater there. So they are still searching for them,” he said.

Ager said the canoe was newly built and reportedly on its maiden trip when it capsized, adding that overloading with passengers and motorcycles contributed to the mishap.

He urged river transport operators to reduce the number of passengers and goods carried at a time and ensure that passengers wore life jackets.

“So we advise them strongly to be using life jackets when they are ferrying people across the river,” he said.

Ager said government could continue to sensitise riverine communities on safety practices but noted that enforcement remained difficult without a dedicated mechanism.

He added that the National Emergency Management Agency and SEMA had previously provided life jackets to boat operators, although the safety equipment was apparently not being used.