A boat accident in Gummi Local Government Area, Zamfara State, has resulted in the deaths of at least 41 people. The incident occurred early Saturday morning when a boat carrying 53 farmers capsized on a river near the town.
Eyewitness Abubakar Muhammad told PUNCH that only 12 passengers, including the boat captain, survived. Despite rescue efforts, 41 people were not recovered alive.
“We did our best to save as many as we could, but sadly, 41 passengers couldn’t be brought out alive,” Muhammad said.
The Sole Administrator of Gummi Local Government Area, Alhaji Na’Allah Musa, confirmed the accident and attributed it to overloading.
He said: “There were too many people on board, and the captain did everything possible to reduce the number, but no one wanted to stay behind.
“After exhausting all efforts to convince them, the captain had no choice but to proceed. Unfortunately, the boat capsized and sank due to the overloading.”
Only four passengers managed to swim to safety, while rescue teams saved several others.
The exact number of casualties remains unknown as the search for missing passengers continues.
