Seventeen people are feared dead after a boat carrying 23 passengers capsized in Adamawa State.
A witness, Faisal Rugange, reported that the boat, transporting locals, capsized in Njuwa Lake near Rugange village in Yola South Local Government Area just before noon on Friday while the victims were en route to Yola town for business.
Faisal stated via phone late on Friday: “It was raining when the accident happened. A heavy windstorm blew water into the boat, causing it to capsize instantly.”
He added that although the local boat was carrying more than 20 passengers, only six were rescued by local divers.
Confirming the incident, the Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Mohamed Suleiman, reported one person dead and five rescued, but 17 others remained missing.
Adamawa Police spokesman SP Suleiman Nguroje stated that the command had deployed Marine police officers to assist in the ongoing rescue operation.
He mentioned that he could not provide the exact number of individuals on the ill-fated boat since the rescue operation was still in progress.
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