A total number of nine bodies have been recovered so far from the boat mishap in Zamfara State.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed this in a post it shared on its X account on Tuesday morning.
“On Saturday, September 14, 2024, a tragic boat accident occurred in Mashayar yandaga, (old market site) Gummi Township, within the Gummi Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State,” NEMA wrote.
“An assessment of the incident was conducted on Monday, September 16, 2024, following reports of the disaster.
“The boat which was carrying over 40 passengers, mostly farmers and crew men capsized as a result of overload and high river current.
“Local divers and fishermen managed to rescue five persons alive. Sadly, nine bodies have been recovered so far as search and rescue operations continue.”
The agency added that many individuals including men, women and children remain unaccounted for.
According to the post, the assessment was carried out by officials from NEMA, the Zamfara Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), local government authorities, community leaders, the Red Cross and other stakeholders.
