Pregnant woman and children among 11 feared dead in Benue boat tragedy

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

A boat carrying mourners capsized on the River Benue in Makurdi Local Government Area, Benue State, on Saturday night, leaving at least 11 people feared dead, including a pregnant woman and six children.

The passengers were returning to Daududawadawa, an island community behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi, after attending a burial ceremony in Wadata, a suburb of Makurdi town.

Witnesses say the incident occurred between 7 and 8 pm during a heavy downpour and strong winds that swept across parts of the state capital.

According to Mr. Nura Umar, commander of the local vigilante group Operation Shara (Sweep), the deceased woman had been taken to a private hospital in North Bank earlier that Saturday but died shortly thereafter. Her relatives joined the burial at Wadata before the group boarded a boat to return to Daududawadawa.

“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7 pm, heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey,” Umar said.

The boat carried more than 40 passengers. Four bodies have been recovered and buried, while divers continue to search for the remaining victims. Among those feared dead are a pregnant woman and six children from the riverine community.

Umar also recounted a survivor who lost her baby when it was swept away during the capsizing.

The tragedy has plunged the Daududawadawa community into mourning, with residents awaiting updates on the missing passengers as search and rescue operations proceed.

Attempts to contact Mr. Joseph Keffi, chairman of the Makurdi Local Government Council, were unsuccessful. The public relations officer of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not yet received details of the incident.

Local divers and community volunteers continue the search, while families of the victims gather along the riverbank in hopes of news.

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