Six die, five missing in Niger boat mishap

At least six persons have allegedly died, while six others are still missing in a boat mishap at Gbara area of Mokwa LGA (River Kaduna) in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State.

It was gathered that the incident occurred yesterday evening around 6:30pm.

The boat was said to have taken off from Lanchikagi village of Lavun LG and was heading to Gbara village with 48 passengers on board.

Confirming the accident, the Niger State Management Agency, NSEMA, in a statement signed by the Director General, Ibrahim Inga, said 48 persons were on the boat when the mishap occurred, with six losing their lives.

He explained that 37 persons survived, six dead bodies were recovered, while five are still missing in the accident that occurred yesterday evening.

According to him, the passengers were said to be returning from Danchitagi village market in Lavun local government which comes up every Friday.

Inga attributed the cause of the incident to heavy downpour which was accompanied by violent windstorm.

Meanwhile, the NSEMA DG added that search and rescue operations are still ongoing for the remaining missing persons.