Tragedy as Over 100 Passengers Perish in Boat Mishap on River Benue

From Our Correspondent

More than 100 individuals are believed to have lost their lives as a boat, carrying passengers from a local market, tragically capsized in the midstream of River Benue on Saturday.

The heart-wrenching incident claimed the lives of traders, women, and children who were en route to Binnari town, located in the Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba State.

According to sources, the ill-fated boat had departed from the Mayoreneyo local jetty at approximately 3:30 pm and tragically capsized merely 40 minutes later.

Tragically, as of the latest information, only the lifeless bodies of two individuals have been recovered by local divers, according to a resident of Binnari.

What further compounds this tragedy is that none of the passengers had life jackets when the catastrophic incident occurred, as reported by a source at the Mayoreneyo local jetty.

Jidda Mayoreneyo, the Acting Chairman of Inland Water Transporters in Taraba State, confirmed that approximately 15 bodies have been recovered in close proximity to the scene.

Dalhatu Kawu, the Chairman of the caretaker committee of Ardo-Kola, expressed his sorrow, describing the incident as “tragic.”

As the community grapples with this heart-wrenching loss, the Police spokesman in Taraba, SP Abdullahi Usman, has mentioned that he is yet to receive an official report of the incident.