Thursday, 27 May 2021: The National Inland Waterways Authority, (NIWA), says it fears about 160 people died in the boat mishap that happened in Kebbi State on Wednesday as a most of them are yet to be found.

The agency said only four dead bodies had been recovered “but 156 out of the 180 passengers onboard the boat were still missing and are feared dead.”

CEOAFRICA reports how the boat capsized in Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The Area Manager of the NIWA in Yauri, Yusuf Birma, told reporters that the mishap happened due to overloading, adding that four corpses were found.

The official said 20 persons were rescued “and the 156 people missing are feared dead”.

The boat was also carrying 30 Bajaj motorcycles, Birma said.

The victims from Kebbi were going to a market in neighboring Borgu Local Government Area in Niger State. The boat reportedly broke into two pieces, the official added.

The official lamented that “the boat involved is a wooden boat which is old and very weak but this people will not listen when we sensitised them to reduce the number of passengers they are carrying with the boat”.

Over 160 persons have drowned after a boat conveying over 180 passengers capsized in Rofia river in Agwarra Local Government Area of Niger State.

The cause of the accident, according to a source, was the overloading of the old boat.

It was reliably gathered that the boat took off from Lokomina through Rofia river in Niger State at about 7:30am on Wednesday and was heading to a market in Kebbi State.