Pregnant woman, 6 children, 4 others die in Benue boat tragedy

At least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and six children, are feared dead following a boat accident in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. as passengers travelled by boat from Wadata to Daududawada community amid a heavy rainstorm that hit parts of the state capital.

The Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante outfit operating in the North Bank area, Nura Umar, said the victims included a pregnant woman, six children and four other adults.

Speaking on the incident, Umar explained that those involved were returning to their community after attending the burial of a woman who had died earlier in the day.

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According to him, the deceased woman had been taken from Daududawada, an island settlement located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks, to a private hospital in North Bank for medical treatment but later passed away.

He said relatives and other community members travelled to Wadata to participate in her burial before embarking on the return journey by water.

“What happened was that we took a sick woman who lived in the community behind NASME to a private hospital in North Bank on Saturday morning, where she later died.

“Her relatives from the community joined us for the burial, which took place at Wadata. After the burial ceremony, they boarded a boat to return to Daududawada because it was a shorter route than travelling by road.

“At about 7 p.m., heavy rain accompanied by strong winds started, causing the boat to capsize midway through the journey.

“There were over 40 passengers on board, but 11 are feared dead. So far, we have recovered four bodies and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining seven victims,” he said.

Umar also recounted the ordeal of a woman who survived the accident but lost her baby in the process.

“The woman had her baby strapped to her back. In the struggle to stay afloat, she lost hold of the child while trying to swim to safety. She did her best to save the baby, but the child had swallowed too much water and did not survive,” he said.

(DAILY TRUST)