One dead and eight missing after boat capsizes on Benue river

One person has died and eight others remain missing after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the Buruku River in Buruku Local Government Area of Benue State, according to the state emergency management agency. Tema Ager, the Information Officer for the State Emergency Management Agency, said three people were receiving treatment in hospital and that the remaining passengers had been rescued. The incident occurred at about 11am on Saturday as the group returned from a burial ceremony.

Raymond Zege, chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, said the passengers were mourners from neighbouring Gboko Local Government Area. He said the boat’s engine failed while it was still on the river, leaving the occupants and the driver struggling to keep it afloat. Zege attributed the difficulty to overloading and the weight of the wooden boat.

He said the passengers became panicked while attempting to reach another boat sent to help them, and that waves contributed to the vessel sinking. He initially said the exact number of missing people was unknown. Ager said the boat began sinking close to the shore after an engine fault before capsizing.

An unnamed SEMA official, citing the account of a rescued motorcycle rider, said about 32 motorcycles were aboard and that as many as 200 people may have been travelling in the boat. The Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Denis Iyaghigba, gave a different preliminary account, saying the boat was swept by a strong current into an abandoned barge at a bend in the river. He said the impact caused it to overturn.

Iyaghigba directed boat operators and their union downstream to assist the search and rescue operation. He urged families and the public to await verified information. Zege said authorities had provided life jackets, but enforcement was difficult because some passengers objected to wearing them.