No fewer than 40 women and children are feared dead after a boat carrying farmers and agricultural labourers capsized in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the tragic incident occurred as the passengers were travelling across a river, with rescue teams racing to locate survivors and recover those still missing.
Jigawa State Police Command confirmed the incident on Monday, saying one body had been recovered while efforts were ongoing to find the remaining passengers. The command noted that search and rescue operations were continuing in collaboration with local responders.
Muhammad Sanusi, Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said the passengers were mostly female farmers and agricultural workers travelling by canoe when the accident occurred.
He added that the exact cause of the mishap had yet to be established, while emergency responders, local divers and residents continued combing the river for survivors.
Sanusi said authorities were still verifying the exact number of casualties and those rescued, stressing that all available resources had been deployed to the search operation. He urged residents to cooperate with emergency officials as efforts continue.
Boat accidents remain a recurring challenge in parts of northern Nigeria, where many rural communities rely on rivers for transportation. Such incidents are often linked to overloading, poor maintenance of boats and the non-use of life jackets.
