It is all sadness and sorrow after tragedy struck in Zumba village in Shiroro local government area of Niger State when a canoe capsised in Shiroro river on Saturday leaving over 50 people dead.
According to reports, the boat left Iburo around 10 am and was travelling to Zumba town for the regular market day.
No fewer than 50 individuals were in the boat when the event took place, Africa Today News, New York gathered.
A yet-t0-be identified number of people, largely traders, including women, children, and food were believed to be transported on board as they made their way to the weekly market.
The tragic canoe, which was the fifth to transport people across the river to the market but capsized en route, was one of those.
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Although the actual number of casualty was not known as of the time of filing this report, a source close to Zumba market told our correspondent on phone that the boat was loaded with no fewer than 50 passengers and farm produce.
The source, who confirmed the incident told Sunday Vanguard, said that nobody had been rescued so far.
Similar incident occured in the same river last year where no fewer than 20 people perished.
This was coming less than a week after Africa Today News, New York reported that no fewer than sixteen passengers have been declared missing following a boat mishap on Saturday along Ojo area of Lagos state.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority, in a statement had said that the boat took off from Mile 2 and was heading to Ibeche in Ojo axis.
The statement read in parts, ‘At about 7.45pm on the 8th of July 2022, The Lagos State Waterways Authority and National Inland Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.
‘A W19 passenger Fibre boat carrying 16 people capsized along the Ojo area of the state’
According to the statement, the captain broke the waterway rules as he sailed late in the evening with no life jackets for passengers.