A wooden boat carrying mourners capsizes while crossing the River Katsina-Ala/Katsina-Ala area near Buruku/Buriku Local Government Area in Benue State. Reports say the incident happens around 11am on Saturday, with the boat also carrying more than 30 motorcycles. Several passengers are feared missing, and at least one death is mentioned by some outlets.
Eyewitness and reporting across the sources attribute the accident to a mechanical issue and possible overloading. Vanguard and Daily Post Nigeria describe a heavily overloaded boat and an engine fault reported midway through the journey. The Punch also cites engine failure as a contributing factor.
Rescue and casualty figures vary between outlets. Vanguard focuses on uncertainty over the fate of more than 70 mourners. The Punch reports “six missing” in one report, and later updates mention one confirmed dead and eight missing. Daily Post Nigeria states that, after the accident, five bodies are recovered while six people remain missing, and that the total number aboard is over 70 mourners along with motorcycles returning from a burial.
