Six persons lost their lives in a boat mishap which occurred in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Benue police command confirmed the development on Thursday via a statement.
The command’s spokesperson, Sewuese Anene, said in the press release that the command was made aware of the accident that occurred on Tuesday at 1:00 p.m.
She said the boat transporting 40 passengers from Guma LGA to Buruku LGA for business capsized in the river around Fada Village in Guma LGA of the state.
Ms Anene said that the combined efforts of the police and fishermen in the area led to the rescue of 26 passengers who were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
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She said that six corpses were recovered and a search for the remaining eight passengers was ongoing.
The police spokesperson said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Wale Abass, had commiserated with the families and friends of the victims.
She added that the CP charged travellers who choose water transportation to employ maximum safety measures while travelling, especially now that the volume of water was very high.
Boat mishaps have become a regular occurrence in several parts of the country with lives lost in the process.
In July, a boat mishap in the Mile 2 area of Lagos State led to the death of at least 17 people.
According to the Southwest zonal coordinator of the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye, illegal boat operators plying the waterways beyond the stipulated official hours led to “avoidable deaths.”
He said the act was a violation of the regulations of the waterways guidelines for operators.
