Lagos. President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed in a statement that at least 76 people were killed when a boat capsized in the southern state of Umbra. In a statement issued late Sunday, Buhari acknowledged that the rescue agencies had officially reported the death toll in the tragedy on October 7. According to the statement, a passenger boat carrying 85 people capsized due to floods in the state’s Ogbaru area.
Local media quoted Thickman Tanimu, an official with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), as saying that an investigation had been launched to determine “other causes of the incident” besides the floods. Following the tragedy, the National Inland Waterways Authority of Nigeria and NEMA have started a rescue and recovery mission in Ambara. The president has also ordered a review of security measures in the country’s water transport system and said emergency services should do everything they can for missing people. Buhari called upon the government agencies to “check the security protocols at these transport ferries to ensure they avoid such incidents in future”. (IANS)
