29 Killed In Fresh Niger Boat Mishap
At least 29 people have died in a boat accident that occurred on Tuesday in Gausawa village, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The ill-fated boat, which was carrying more than 90 passengers, was reportedly heading to Dugga community for a condolence visit when it capsized around 11:30 a.m.
Confirming the incident, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Abdullahi Baba-Arah, said a search and rescue operation had been launched to recover victims.
He said, “NSEMA has received a report of a boat mishap incident at a community called Gausawa in the Malale area/ward of Borgu LGA.
“According to our desk officer who led the search and rescue operations, the boat took off from a community called Tugan Sule in Shagunu ward with 90 people on board which includes women and children on the boat heading to Dugga for a condolence visit.”
Baba-Arah explained that the mishap was caused by overloading and a collision with a tree stump.
He added, “The incident happened yesterday, 2nd September 2025 at about 11:30am and the cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stomp.
“As at the time of filling this report 29 dead bodies have been recovered with 50 persons rescued alive while 2 people are still missing.
“Search and rescue operations are still ongoing for possible recovery of missing persons.”
The tragedy comes barely a month after a similar boat mishap in Shiroro Local Government Area claimed 25 lives, including 10 members of the same family, on July 27, 2025.
29 Killed In Fresh Niger Boat Mishap is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
