The death toll from the boat mishap at the Gorau crossing point in Sokoto State’s Goronyo Local Government Area has risen to 53, as more bodies have been recovered from the river.
The tragedy has plunged communities in the vicinity into sadness, with families anxiously awaiting word on relatives who are still missing after the boat capsized while transporting passengers across the channel.
Previously, 48 bodies were found from the location. The total jumped to 53 as rescue workers worked harder to find victims who were believed to have been trapped or washed away by the river current.
A resident who lost two brothers in the disaster said rescue efforts were halted on Thursday night owing to darkness and tough working circumstances.
According to him, rescuers planned to resume the search on Friday morning, with 53 remains recovered thus far.
The boat was apparently carrying 75 to 80 passengers, including the village chief of Nabatsami Gorau, when it capsized, dumping everyone on board into the lake.
As of press time, the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy were unknown; however, overloading was suspected as one of the likely causes.
Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, Head of Operations at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Sokoto Operations Office, confirmed the recovery of bodies but declined to provide an exact figure due to the continuing emergency response operation.
Alhaji Aminu Liman Bodinga, Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed that personnel from NEMA, SEMA, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), security agencies, and the Nigerian Red Cross Society, as well as local divers, were involved in the search for missing passengers.
Bodinga stated that emergency authorities were also attempting to determine the exact number of persons who boarded the boat prior to the deadly excursion, emphasizing that verifying the passenger manifest was important to the search and rescue operation.
He stated that the boat operator and village chief were among those who survived the disaster and that the retrieved dead had been buried according to Islamic customs.
The latest disaster has emphasized the hazards that riverine communities face, especially during the rainy season when rivers and waterways become more perilous.
Goronyo Local Government, located along the Rima River, includes several towns whose populations rely primarily on wooden boats to cross waterways, making strict adherence to inland waterway safety standards vital.
Emergency management officials have consistently cited overloading, the use of rickety and substandard boats, a failure to provide life jackets, and insufficient enforcement of safety standards as primary causes of recurring boat disasters in Nigeria.
The Goronyo tragedy has reignited calls for stronger safety measures on Nigeria’s inland waterways, such as mandatory life jacket use, strict passenger limits, boat and operator certification, improved rescue infrastructure, and stricter enforcement of navigation regulations, in order to prevent further loss of life.
