Two children have reportedly died in a boat accident while others sustained injuries in the Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to reports, the boat which had 145 passengers on board reportedly caught fire following a mechanical fault in the engine which inflamed a jerrycan of petrol stored inside the boat.
The overseeing Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Salihu Garba, who made this known to journalists in a statement on Saturday, said the incident happened at about 6pm on Friday.
Garba said, “NSEMA has received a report of another boat mishap that claimed 2 lives of children and injured 2 persons in Katcha LGA.
“The incident occurred yesterday 20/10/2023 at about 6 pm when the boat engine caught fire due to mechanical failure and inflamed a jerican of petrol stored inside the boat that had 145 people on board.
“The occupants are from the Danbo community in Kogi State, they were on their way back from Katcha Market.
“So far, one corpse has been recovered while the search is still ongoing for the second.”
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