BOAT WITH 150 PASSENGERS ON BOARD CAPSIZE IN RIVER NIGER

No One Has Been Found Alive Yet...
No fewer than 42 people were yesterday drowned in a boat mishap on
River Niger close to Malilli village in Borgu Local Government Area of
Niger when traders were returning from Malilli Village to Tunga Illo
village, after the day's market.
The boat which had over 150 passengers capsized midway and drowned 42
people, while 100 others were missing. Local divers helped in
recovering the corpses and are still looking for more. The Secretary
to the State Government who confirmed the incident said; ''We believe
that the boat was overloaded because the boat's capacity was put at 60
passengers, but over 150 passengers were said to be on board during
the incident. The debris in the swollen river may also have been
responsible for the incident''
The recovered corpses would be given a mass burial close to the river
bank, and neighboring villages have also been alerted to look out for
floating corpses.