Benue State Emergency Management Agency , Benue- SEMA, has deployed local divers to search for passengers still missing after a boat accident on River Katsina-Ala in Buruku Local Government Area.
Mr Tema Ager, Head of Information Unit, Venue-sema, confirmed the development in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Makurdi on Monday.
Ager said the search operation remained challenging because of difficult conditions in the affected section of the river, including submerged motorcycles and other materials.
“Rescue teams are working methodically to locate the missing persons and establish the circumstances surrounding the mishap,” he said.
He said 125 passengers had so far been rescued, while more than nine others remained missing as the operation continued.
Ager said the figures were provisional as authorities continued to reconcile the number of people aboard the boat with information obtained from survivors, relatives and community leaders.
He said an estimated 138 people were believed to have been involved in the accident, although authorities had yet to establish the exact number of passengers.
The official said authorities had engaged survivors, relatives of victims and leaders of the affected community and association to gather information that could assist the search and rescue operation.
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He said 38 motorcycles were also reportedly conveyed on the ill-fated boat, with three passengers said to have been associated with each motorcycle.
Ager explained that some of the figures came from mourners and other people at the scene, while passengers who joined the boat from the riverside had not been fully identified.
He said authorities would continue the search and investigation until they established the status of everyone believed to have been aboard the boat.
Ager appealed to river users to observe water-safety measures, particularly the use of life jackets when travelling by boat.
He said life jackets had been provided in the past, but some passengers often ignored the precaution and boarded boats without wearing them.
The SEMA official urged passengers using the Buruku crossing point and other waterways to wear life jackets and comply with safety instructions to prevent avoidable loss of lives.
On October 3, a wooden boat conveying passengers and motorcycles reportedly developed difficulties while crossing River Katsina-Ala at the Buruku crossing point.
NAN
