No fewer than 30 people are feared dead after a canoe capsized in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

 

 

An eyewitness told reports that the incident occurred at Malamawar Yandutse village on Sunday evening when the canoe, carrying about 40 passengers, mostly women and children, capsized.

 

He said rescue operations are still ongoing, and families have been asked to identify the bodies of the victims for burial.

 

 

Confirming the incident, the Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammad Bala Sanusi, said rescue operations were ongoing, and the exact number of casualties and survivors had yet to be confirmed.

 

According to the SEMA official, the exact cause of the accident has yet to be established. He said officials of the agency are still working alongside local residents to locate survivors and account for all passengers.

 

 

He added that the number of casualties could not be confirmed, as rescue operations were still in progress at the time this report was filed.

 

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Emergency Management Committee, Malam Habibu Dauda, confirmed the incident, appealing to the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information until the relevant authorities release an official statement.