The latest accident claimed no fewer than 18 lives. The Malali accident claimed 26 lives.
The boat was said to be conveying people from the weekly Thursday market from Kokoli to Ulakami at about 4pm when tragedy struck.
The boat was said to have broken into two under the pressure of both the passengers and the load, throwing all into the river.
A survivor, Umar Ibrahim who spoke to newsmen said they were in the middle of the 10 kilometers journey when the boat they were in split throwing all the passengers into the river.
“We had just got to the middle of the journey when the boat split into two, people started screaming and falling into the water.”
Ibrahim stated that he was able to rescue about 10 people all whom were women and children believing that the men could take care of themselves.
“But for the assistance in the rescue efforts, the casualty rate would have been higher.”
Umar said some of the passengers were able to swim to safety, which reduced the number of casualty, adding that captains of other boats around also assisted.
He said but for his efforts and those of others, it would have been a disaster of no mean magnitude, stressing that he was not sure he too would have survived it because the bank of the river was far away from where the accident occurred.
Mohammed Garba, Village Head of Malali confirmed that after the incident, he went round to find out how many people were missing while it was also discovered that 18 people were dead.
The villagers attributed the frequent accidents on the river to failure of the people of the area to offer the yearly sacrifice to the river, while some were believed the boat was too old and not maintained.
From AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna
CULLED FROM THE SUN NEWSPAPER
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