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KWARA: 106 dead, 144 rescued from boat mishap – DG NSIB

THE Director General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Akin Olateru, has stated that 106 persons have died in the Kwara boat disaster late Tuesday.

Olateru also revealed that 144 passengers have so far been rescued.

The DG added during a news conference in Abuja that the NSIB is currently conducting an investigation into the underlying cause of the regrettable accident.

He added that the boat capsized while traveling from Egboti village in Niger State to the Patigi district of Kwara.

The NSIB director appealed to key stakeholders and the general public to give essential information that may aid the investigation.

Unfortunately, such river catastrophes are becoming more common across the country.

Last month, 15 children drowned and 25 others went missing after their overloaded boat capsized in northwest Sokoto State as they were on their way to collect firewood.

Almost exactly a year earlier, another 29 children from a nearby village also drowned in the same river as they were on a trip to collect firewood for their families.

During massive flooding in the rainy season last December, at least 76 people drowned when their boat went down in a swollen river in southeastern Anambra State.

With poor road infrastructure a frequent problem and kidnapping for ransom a major issue along some highways, river boat travel for transport and trade is common in various communities across the country.

The Niger River is West Africa’s main waterway running in a crescent through Guinea to the Niger Delta and is a key trade route for some countries.

The National Inland Waterways Authority has tried to ban night-time sailing on rivers to stop accidents and says overloading ships is a criminal offence, but skippers and crews often ignore the regulations.

Speaking on the latest boat mishap, President Bola Tinubu urged the Kwara State Government and appropriate Federal Government authorities to investigate the circumstances behind the boat accident.

The president also emphasized that his administration would investigate the country’s inland water transportation difficulties to ensure that safety and operating standards are carefully followed.

He added that survivors and victims’ relatives should be given prompt relief and help.

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