Two children have been confirmed dead while two others sustained various degrees of injuries in a boat mishap that occurred in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
The Overseeing Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) /, Alhaji Salihu Garba, disclosed this in Minna on Saturday.
Garba said the incident occurred on Friday at about 6:00 pm when the boat engine caught fire due to a mechanical failure and inflamed a gallon of petrol stored inside the vessel.
He further disclosed that 145 passengers were in the boat, adding that they were from Danbo community in Kogi State.
Garba added that the passengers were on their way back from Katcha market when the incident occurred.
He said that the body of one of the deceased children had been recovered while the search for the remains of the second missing child was still ongoing.
Reacting to the sad development, the Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has expressed shock over the death of the two children in the boat that was gutted by fire.
Bago in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, described the incident as terrible and painful
He observed that “negative incidences around water transportation, leading to loss of lives in riverine communities in the State, is becoming too frequent”.
The governor called on “relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to urgently do the needful and take proactive measures to halt the ugly trend”.
He also commiserated with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the tragic incident and prayed to God to repose the souls of the departed as well as grant quick recovery to those injured.
