About 103 wedding guests including a father and his four children have been confirmed dead after a boat accident claimed their lives at Egbu village, in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.
It was gathered that the victims were returning from the ceremony at Egboti village in Niger State when the boat conveying them to their destinations crashed in the Patigi LGA on Monday.
The Kwara State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Ajayi Okesanmi, while reacting to the development, confirmed that the tragedy claimed 103 lives, adding that the names of the rescued victims would be made public.
“Update on the boat accident in Patigi, 103 dead, others survived. Names of survivors would be made public as soon as it is available,” Okesanmi said.
Also reacting, the traditional ruler of Patigi, Ibrahim Bologi II, totalled the dead victims to 110.
He also noted that the boat was conveying about 217 passengers, adding that a search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the remaining victims was ongoing.
The traditional ruler said, “The latest development now is that a total number of 110 people have died in the accident. It was a boat carrying about 217 people. The local people are joining the search for now and it will extend till tomorrow.”
Corroborating the monarch’s claim on the number of lives lost in the tragedy, the Chairman, Transition Implementation Committee, Patigi LGA, Mohammed Liman, said 110 passengers died in the crash that plunged residents in the local government area into untold anguish.
Liman, while quoting a statement on the tragic development by a community leader, Alhassan Mohammed, said, “About 110 people died in the boat accident in our area. We are telling you about the tragedy and unforgettable memory that happened to my people from our village, Ebu, and other neighbouring villages close to us.
“Our village people went to a wedding ceremony in another village called Gboti and the boat carried about 270 people and almost 110 people were lost.
“The record for each village includes Egbu, 61, Dzakan, 38, Kpada, four, Kuchalu, two, and Sampi, three. This is an unforgettable memory and tragedy in the history of our village.”
