Pregnant woman, six children, four others feared dead as boat capsizes in Benue

At least 11 persons, including a pregnant woman and several children, are feared dead after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the River Benue in Makurdi LGA of Benue state.

The victims were said to be returning to Daududawadawa, a riverine community located behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) in the North Bank area of Makurdi, after attending a burial ceremony when the accident occurred on Saturday evening.

Residents said the boat overturned between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. amid heavy rainfall and strong winds that swept through parts of the state capital.

The passengers had reportedly travelled earlier in the day to Wadata, a suburb of Makurdi, to attend the burial of a woman from their community.

Confirming the incident, Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante outfit operating in the North Bank area, Nura Umar, explained that the deceased woman had died at a private hospital after being taken there for treatment.

According to him, family members and sympathisers gathered for her burial before boarding the boat for the return trip.

“What happened was that we took a sick woman from the community behind NASME to a private hospital in North Bank yesterday morning, where she later died. Her relatives came and joined us for the burial at Wadata,” Umar said.

“After the burial, they boarded a boat to cross back to Daududawadawa community. At about 7 p.m., heavy rain and strong winds started and the boat capsized halfway into the journey.

“There were over 40 passengers aboard the boat, but 11 are feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers are still searching for the remaining victims.”

Umar disclosed that those feared dead include a pregnant woman and six children from the community.

He also recounted the experience of a survivor who escaped the mishap but lost her infant in the accident