Death toll in Niger boat mishap now 30

The death toll from the boat mishap in Mokwa local government area of Niger State had risen to 30.

Emergency responders had on Sunday evening recovered 26 bodies from the scene of the accident.

A wooden boat conveying passengers from Gbajibo water side to Tungan-Mango for farming activities capsized in the communities between Jebba and Kainji Dam in Mokwa local government area of the state on Sunday morning.

The victims are mostly women and children.

The Acting Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Alhaji Garba Salihu, confirmed the latest figure to journalists in Minna on Monday evening.

He said the agency had so far rescued 30 persons in the Gbajibo area where the incident occurred.

Salihu said: “Yesterday, I told you that we have recovered 24 corpses, but that same day it later increased to 26 dead bodies.

READ ALSO: 24 passengers die in Niger boat mishap

“Today, we recovered four more corpses, making 30 in all.”

The NSEMA chief revealed that 27 of the dead passengers were women while three were children.

Salihu dispelled claims that 100 passengers boarded the ill-fated boat.

“For now, nobody knows the number of passengers on that boat. Many people entered the boat, so knowing the actual number of passengers on board will be difficult,” he added.

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