No fewer than 15 villagers fleeing from bandits have been reported dead in a boat accident in Zamfara State, Channels Television is reporting.
According to the station, the accident occurred on Friday when villagers fleeing bandit attacks attempted to cross a river at Nasarawar Kifi in Birnin Tudu Ward.
Witnesses said the victims, mostly women and children from Danmaga, Tungar Maigunya, and Nasarawar Kifi, had rushed to the river in search of safety.
The ill-fated boat, which could only carry 16 passengers, overturned during its third trip after two women forced themselves onboard despite the boat already being overloaded.
One witness, Malam Bashiru, lamented that the community has continued to lose lives yearly to such accidents due to inadequate transport facilities.
Bashiru appealed for government and humanitarian support to provide more boats for villagers whose farms and businesses depend on water transportation.
The village head of Nasarawar Kifi, Alhaji Muhammadu Chigari, confirmed the tragedy, describing the atmosphere in the communities as one of grief.
Chigari revealed that the victims included eight housewives, three babies, and four youths, while local divers are still searching for the missing.
The deceased have since been laid to rest in a mass funeral led by Liman Yahaya in line 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 could not verify the casualty figures.
Shehu said a team from NEMA, in collaboration with the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA), would visit the scene to ascertain the exact number of victims and provide relief materials for their families.
He said: “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.”
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