About 41 people are feared dead following a boat accident in Gummi town, the headquarters of Gummi Local Government Area in Zamfara State.
The boat, carrying 53 farmers heading to their fields on Saturday morning, capsized near the town.
An eyewitness, Abubakar Muhammad, a resident of Gummi, told newsmen that only 12 of the passengers, including the boat’s captain, were rescued alive, while the remaining 41 drowned.
Muhammad recounted the scene, saying, “When the boat capsized today, I was one of those who were present near the river close to Gummi town.
“Immediately, the boat capsized. It sank into the river with all the passengers.
“We did our best to rescue them, but unfortunately, we were only able to bring out 12 persons alive, including the captain of the boat.
“The bodies of the other 41 passengers were evacuated out of the water.”
Alhaji Na’Allah Musa, the Sole Administrator of Gummi Local Government, confirmed that the captain had warned passengers to reduce the number on board, but the passengers refused. The overloaded boat eventually capsized, sinking into the river.
Confirming the accident, the Sole Administrator, Gummi Local Government Area, Alhaji Na’Allah Musa, said the boat was overloaded.
According to him, the captain of the boat told the passengers that some of them must come down, but all of them refused to listen.
He said, “There were many people on the boat, and the captain did all he could to reduce the number, but nobody wanted to be left behind.
“When he did all he could to reduce the number but failed, he was left with no option but to start going.
“As he moved forward, the boat capsized and sank into the river due to overloading.
“Only four of the passengers were able to swim out of the river, while the rescue operators were able to save others.
“There were many casualties, but actually I can’t say exactly how many of them have died because we are still looking for other missing passengers.