Boat Capsizes In Benue, Six Students Dead, Several Missing

At least six students have been confirmed dead, while several others remain missing following a boat capsizing at Buruku Crossing in Buruku Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.

The incident occurred late Monday night as the wooden boat, carrying passengers and vehicles, sank while en route to the Buruku side of the river.

Local sources said the tragedy occurred around 11:00 pm. An eyewitness attributed the incident to overloading:

“The boat, as you know, is a wooden one, and it was carrying passengers and cars across the river to Buruku when it suddenly sank. There were over 45 people on that boat, including vehicles. It was simply overloaded,” he said.

He added: “While about 35 passengers were rescued alive, six deaths have so far been confirmed, with others still unaccounted for. Most of the victims were students returning to schools in Gboko and nearby communities. This is very unfortunate. This tragedy could have been avoided.”

The eyewitness decried repeated negligence on the waterways: “Every year we record this kind of tragedy. Authorities will issue statements assuring that it won’t happen again, but nothing concrete is done to ensure the safety of waterway users.”

The Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Denis Iyaghigba, expressed “grave concern and deep distress,” describing the accident as a reminder of the dangers posed by unsafe, unregulated inland water transport.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Lubem Gena, Iyaghigba extended his sympathy to the families of the victims and the Butransportation.

Preliminary reports indicate that the mishap occurred in the course of routine river transportation,” he said.

He confirmed that a full-scale investigation has been launched to determine both immediate and underlying causes: “This will include possible violations of safety regulations, operational negligence, or environmental factors.”

The Ministry has mobilized stakeholders to intensify rescue and recovery operations, Iyaghigba said, “We are committed to accounting for all passengers and conducting a thorough, transparent, and uncompromising investigation, with appropriate sanctions for any individual or operator found culpable.”

He warned that recklessness and disregard for safety standards would no longer be tolerated and announced measures including vessel inspections, operator licensing, passenger safety education, and closer monitoring of river transport activities across the state.

The Commissioner reaffirmed the commitment of the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration to protecting lives and property, stressing that “economic development must never come at the expense of human safety.”

The Chairman of Buruku LGA, Mr. Raymond Zege was yet to issue a comment as of press time.

Similarly, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet was also yet to speak on the development.

Boat Capsizes In Benue, Six Students Dead, Several Missing is first published on The Whistler Newspaper