Boat Capssizes In River Niger, Leaving Five Dead And Thirty Others Rescued.

Awka—In a boat accident on the River Niger, thirty people were saved while five people were believed to be dead.

The victims, who were primarily women and children, were reportedly sailing from Kogi State to Onitsha, Anambra State, for business purposes.

An eyewitness said: “Early this morning (Sunday), there was a boat that capsized at River Niger. Some of the victims are from parts of Kogi State and Mmiata Anam in Anambra East local government area.”

Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police command through its Public Relations Officer, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga, said police operatives after receiving a distress call rushed to the scene of the incident and were able to rescue about 30 persons.

Ikenga said: “We were able to rescue more than 30 of the passengers and recovered five lifeless bodies in the depths of the river and the capsized boat.

According to preliminary reports, the boat was headed from Kogi and was carrying both passengers and cargo prior to the regrettable incident.

“The investigation is still ongoing, so the cause of the incident has not yet been determined.”