No less than 64 individuals are feared lifeless following a ship accident on a river in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, native officers mentioned on Saturday (14 September 2024).
On Saturday morning, a wood boat carrying 70 farmers capsized whereas ferrying them throughout the river to achieve their farmlands close to the city of Gummi. Native authorities shortly mobilized residents for a rescue operation and after three hours, six survivors had been pulled from the water.
“That is the second time such an incident has occurred in Gummi Native Authorities Space,” mentioned Aminu Nuhu Falale, a neighborhood administrator who led the rescue efforts.
He added that emergency groups had been stepping up their search within the hope of discovering extra survivors.
Greater than 900 farmers depend on crossing the river every day to entry their farmland, however there are solely two boats obtainable, usually resulting in overcrowding, the native conventional ruler mentioned.
Zamfara state, already tormented by legal gangs looking for management of mineral sources, has additionally been severely affected by flooding brought on by heavy rains. Two weeks in the past, flooding displaced greater than 10,000 residents, native authorities mentioned.
Revealed – September 15, 2024 06:25 am IST