RINGIM: A wave of grief has swept through Jigawa State after at least 40 women and children were feared dead when a canoe carrying passengers capsized in Ringim Local Government Area, triggering an intensive search-and-rescue operation.
The tragic incident, which occurred on Monday, involved a canoe transporting mostly female farmers and agricultural workers across a river when it overturned under circumstances that are yet to be fully established.
The Jigawa State Police Command confirmed the accident, saying emergency responders were working tirelessly to locate those still missing.
In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the police disclosed that one body had been recovered while rescue teams continued searching for dozens of other passengers believed to have drowned.
One of the bodies was recovered. Efforts to recover the remaining 39 are underway,” the command stated.
The Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammad Sanusi, also confirmed the tragedy, describing it as one of the state’s latest fatal boat accidents.
According to Sanusi, the passengers were predominantly women engaged in farming and other agricultural activities, accompanied by children, when the canoe capsized.
He explained that emergency officials, local divers and community volunteers immediately mobilized to the scene in search of survivors and victims.
Authorities, he added, were still verifying the exact number of passengers on board as well as the number of people rescued, missing or confirmed dead.
“Hands are on deck as combined efforts continue to determine the exact number of those rescued or missing, Sanusi said.
Officials said investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the accident.
While no official cause has been established, boat mishaps in many parts of northern Nigeria are frequently linked to overloading, poor maintenance of wooden boats, adverse weather conditions and the absence of life jackets.
Search operations were still continuing as of Monday, with emergency responders expressing hope of finding survivors.
The latest tragedy has once again highlighted the growing danger faced by residents of riverine communities who rely on waterways as their primary means of transportation.
In many rural parts of Nigeria, especially during the farming season, thousands of residents travel daily in wooden canoes to reach farmlands and neighbouring communities, often without adequate safety measures.
Safety experts have repeatedly urged state governments and local authorities to enforce passenger limits, improve water transport infrastructure and make the use of life jackets compulsory in order to reduce the rising number of fatal boat accidents.
As rescue efforts continue in Ringim, families anxiously await news of their loved ones while the nation mourns yet another heartbreaking loss on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
Authorities are expected to provide further updates as search and recovery operations progress.
