NIWA Rescues 100 Passengers From Niger Boat Mishap

NIWA Rescues 100 Passengers From Niger Boat Mishap

BY YUSUF BABALOLA, Lagos

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), on Wednesday, announced the rescue of 100 passengers from the boat mishap in Niger State.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP by NIWA management, it said the accident involved a wooden boat with about 200 passengers on board.

According to the statement, the boat was travelling from Gbajibo Mudi to New Gbajibo at about 8:30pm in the night of Tuesday when it suddenly capsized.

The NIWA management, however, expressed disappointment at the crash despite the Authority’s efforts to reduce such incidents

“NIWA has described the recent boat mishap in Niger state as unfortunate amidst her increasing efforts to reduce such incidents. This was contained in a preliminary statement issued on the sad event by the Authority earlier today.

“The management confirmed that the accident involving a wooden boat with about 200 passengers on board was travelling from Gbajibo Mudi to New Gbajibo at about 8:30pm in the night when it suddenly capsized.

“According to NIWA, preliminary findings show that the incident might be due to the overloading of the passenger boat. While the Authority maintained that rescue efforts are still ongoing, it said that as of the last count, it has rescued more than 100 passengers from different parts of the channel,” it stated.

The Authority, however, reiterated that the ban on night travel on inland waters and overloading still subsists.

“The Authority therefore warns boat operators to desist from flouting safety rules, including ban on night travel and overloading of boats,” it added.