The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) on Friday confirmed 22 people died in a boat accident in Agaie local government area of the state.
The Director-General of NSEMA, Abdullahi Baba-Arah, confirmed the incident in a statement in Minna.
He said the boat was sailing from Ebe Community in Kogi State with about 50 passengers on board and heading to Katcha market when the incident occurred at about 2.00 a.m. on Thursday.
He added that the agency’s personnel, Agaie LGA Emergency Committee, local divers, and other community volunteers were involved in the search and rescue operations.
The NSEMA DG said 22 bodies had been recovered and eight persons rescued alive so far.
Arah said 18 of the recovered bodies were from Kogi State, while four were inhabitants of Akwanu community in Agaie LGA in Niger State.