At least 13 people lost their lives and 22 others were declared missing after a boat carrying fleeing residents capsized in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Friday.
The victims, mostly women and children from Danmaga, Tungar Maigunya, and Nasarawar Kifi villages, had rushed to the river to escape bandits who attacked their community earlier in the day when the overloaded boat capsized.
An eyewitness, Shehu Mohammed, a health worker in Birnin Magaji, told Reuters:
“My eldest son and two other nieces were among the 13 people who died when the boat was overloaded with terrified people.”
The District Head of Birnin Magaji, Maidamma Dankilo, confirmed that 13 people had died, 22 were rescued, while another 22 remained missing.
Another eyewitness, Malam Bashiru, lamented that such accidents have become a recurring tragedy in the area due to poor transport facilities. He appealed to government and humanitarian agencies to provide more boats for villagers whose survival depends on river transportation.
The Village Head of Nasarawar Kifi, Alhaji Muhammadu Chigari, also confirmed the incident, noting that the victims included eight housewives, three babies, and four youths. He described the atmosphere in the communities as one of deep grief, adding that local divers were still searching for the missing.
The deceased were buried in a mass funeral led by Liman Yahaya, in accordance with Islamic rites.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Sokoto Field Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Aliyu Shehu, confirmed the incident to Channels Television via telephone, though he said casualty figures were yet to be verified.
“We learnt about the tragic incident today. The Zamfara Emergency Management Agency and our team will be visiting there tomorrow, because we can’t confirm the exact number of victims yet.
The incident didn’t happen in Gummi town; it happened in one village outside Gummi, so we don’t really have details until we get there tomorrow,” he stated.
NEMA said it would work with the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA) to ascertain the actual number of victims and provide relief materials to affected families.
