The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says 32 more bodies of the victims of the boat mishap that occurred on River Niger have been recovered, bringing the total number of corpses recovered to 54.
Justin Uwazuruonye, Head of Operations for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Abuja operation gave the update in a statement on Saturday.
The boat mishap which occured on Thursday, November 28 involved
200 traders from Niger and Kogi States.
They were going to Katchia, Niger State for the weekly market of the community when the boat in which they were travelling capsized on River Niger.
Uwazuruonye said : “The figure of the recovered bodies as of today (Saturday), according to the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross, and NEMA is 54. They were recovered dead.
“We tried to know if they could make the manifest available, but they said there was no manifest, and if there is no manifest, we can’t say the exact number of passengers on the boat.
“Besides, it was a night journey, and none of them had life jackets on.”
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed the incident, which occurred on Friday.
According to Suleman Makama, Head of NIWA’s Media Department, the traders were traveling to a market in Niger State when the boat capsized along the Dambo-Ebuchi stretch of the River Niger.