At least 53 traders have lost their lives in a boat mishap which occurred in Bagudo local government area of Kebbi state.
Muhammad Zagga, chairman of the Bagudo local government, confirmed this on Thursday.
He told NAN that the traders were heaing to a market when the incident happened.
“Majority of the traders are from Gaya village in Niger Republic,” he said.
“They were going to a market in Lolo when their boat capsized.”
Zagga said out of some 100 passengers on board the boat, 47 were rescued while others could not yet be accounted for.
The chairman said that the authorities in Niger Republic had deplored 500 divers to search for the missing people.
Abbas Rabi’u, acting director-general of the Kebbi State Kebbi Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Abbas Rabi’u, described the incident as unfortunate and disastrous.
