4 drown, 20 rescued as canoe capsizes in Sokoto

Four persons on Sunday drowned as a canoe, ferrying 35 persons, capsized at Dundaye community in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The canoe was reportedly ferrying farmers, including three women and four children, to their farms in Gangar Fadama when it capsized around 10 a.m.

The incident happened days after 20 persons reportedly drowned in a boat accident in Zamfara State while escaping from bandits’ attack.

The sailor of the canoe, ferrying 35 persons in Sokoto, said it started sinking after some passengers began playing onboard despite his warnings.

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“I had 35 passengers onboard, including three women and four children. Shortly after taking off, some of them started playing onboard.

“I did my best to stop them because I knew the danger of playing on board a canoe, but they didn’t listen. After a few seconds, the canoe started sinking, and it then capsized,” the sailor recounted.

He said over 20 passengers were rescued, one body recovered and three passengers missing.

The rescue operation had been suspended due to heavy rain in the area, he added.

Alhaji Nasiru Kalambaina, the Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu in charge of the State Emergency Management Agency, said local divers were engaged to search for the missing passengers.

He also noted that this was the first boat mishap recorded in the state this year, though there had been significant floods causing damage in other areas.

Deputy Governor Idris Gobir visited the area to console the victims.

It would be recalled that a similar incident occurred a few years ago in Shagari Local Government Area where dozens of passengers drowned.

We’re still counting bodies– Zamfara police

Police in Zamfara State yesterday said they were still working to determine the number of casualties in a tragic boat mishap in Kali village, Gummi Local Government Area.

The boat, which was reportedly overloaded with villagers fleeing an imminent bandit attack, capsized, leading to the drowning of numerous passengers, mainly women and children.

The state’s Police Commissioner, Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, said search and recovery efforts were ongoing.

“The boat capsized, and the passengers drowned, with some corpses being recovered in another village as they were carried by the water. Until our investigation is complete, we cannot ascertain the exact number of people who died,” he said.