A wave of grief swept through a riverine community in Benue State on Saturday night after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the River Benue, leaving at least 11 people feared dead.
The victims, who included a pregnant woman and six children, were returning to Daududawadawa community in Makurdi Local Government Area after attending a burial ceremony when tragedy struck.
The boat, reportedly carrying more than 40 passengers, overturned midway through the journey as heavy rainfall and strong winds battered the area between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The mourners had earlier gathered in Wadata, a suburb of Makurdi, to bury a woman from their community who had died after being taken to a private hospital in the North Bank area of the state capital.
Confirming the incident, Commander of Operation Shara (Sweep), a local vigilante outfit operating in North Bank, Mr. Nura Umar, said the victims boarded the boat shortly after the burial to return home.
“What happened was that a woman from the community behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering was taken to a private hospital on Saturday morning, where she later passed away,” Umar explained.
“After her burial in Wadata, family members and sympathisers boarded a boat back to the community. Unfortunately, heavy rain and strong winds started during the journey, and the boat capsized.”
According to Umar, four bodies had been recovered as of Sunday morning, while search efforts were ongoing for the remaining victims.
“There were more than 40 passengers on board. Eleven people are feared dead. We have recovered four bodies so far and buried them, while divers continue to search for the others,” he said.
He described the incident as particularly heartbreaking, noting that several of the victims were children.
Among the survivors was a woman who escaped with her life but lost her baby in the accident.
“She survived, but the child she had strapped to her back was swept away when the boat overturned,” Umar added.
The tragedy has plunged Daududawadawa community into mourning, with families gathering along the riverbank as rescue teams and local divers continue the search for those still missing.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Council, Joseph Keffi, for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to him were not returned.
The Benue State Police Command also said it was yet to receive a detailed report on the incident. Police spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not been officially briefed at the time of filing this report.
As rescue operations continued, anxious relatives remained hopeful that more survivors might still be found, even as fears grew over the rising death toll.
