A boat accident in Makurdi, Benue State, is feared to have killed at least 11 people, including a pregnant woman and multiple children. Reports say the incident happens on Saturday evening between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. during heavy downpour as a group was crossing a river.
According to the accounts, the victims were travelling from Wadata to Daududawada, an island community behind the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering (NASME) Barracks in the North Bank area of Makurdi. The boat is reported to have overturned midway through the journey. Authorities and community members are expected to conduct further checks to confirm the number of casualties.
While the two reports vary slightly in the breakdown of victims—one mentions a pregnant woman and children among the 11 mourners feared dead, and the other specifies a pregnant woman and six children—the incidents are described consistently as a single boat mishap in the same location and timeframe.
