A boat carrying about 217 people wedding guests including a father and his four children have been drowned when a boat capsized at Egbu village, in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The victims were said to be returning from the ceremony at Egboti village in Niger State when the boat conveying them crashed on Monday.
The traditional ruler of Patigi, Ibrahim Bologi II, who confirmed the development, said 110 have died, adding that a search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the remaining victims was ongoing.
“The latest development now is that a total number of 110 people have died in the accident. It was a boat carrying about 217 people. The local people are joining the search for now and it will extend till tomorrow,” Bologi II said.
However, SP Ajayi Okesanmi, Kwara State Police Command’s spokesperson, who also confirmed the incident, said the names of the rescued victims would be made public.
“Update on the boat accident in Patigi, 103 dead, others survived. Names of survivors would be made public as soon as it is available,” Okesanmi said.
The Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago, through his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Bologi while sympathized with the bereaved families and urged boat passengers to always wear their life jackets when traveling.
“We are looking at the accident as an act of God and we pray to God to grant them eternal rest and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
“We are appealing to the riverine communities to always wear their life jackets because they were provided with some life jackets. Each time that they are traveling, they should wear them,” he said.
Reacting to the development, the Vice Chairman of the Red Cross Society, Lagos State, Segun Akande, said it was professional and risky to get on any sea transportation without any safety.
“Even when you have a life jacket on, there can still be a little problem because when it happens, there can still be a phobia that people will just capsize and it is only when you know how to swim and safeguard yourself that you can be balanced on that water.
“There must also be a lifesaver or divers on a ferry. That is better than just leaving everybody with a life jacket. If you are using a life jacket, you should still have professional divers – those who can enter the water and save people.
“This is important because capsizing is the danger of traveling on water. There’s no means of transportation without risks. If you are traveling on water, there must be a life jacket to use and you must have lifeguards,” Akande said.
