Reports from Jigawa, North West Nigeria say over 30 people are feared to have died after a canoe capsized in Ringim Local Government Area of the State.
The incident, according to available information was said to have occurred at Malamawar Yandutse village on Sunday evening when the canoe, carrying about 40 passengers, mostly women and children, capsized.
The Director of Planning at the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammad Bala Sanusi, who confirmed the worrisome development pointed out that rescue operations were ongoing, and the exact number of casualties and survivors are for now yet to be confirmed.
He made it clear that the exact cause of the accident is yet to be established, while officials of the agency are still working alongside local residents to locate survivors and account for all passengers.
The Chairman of the Emergency Management Committee, Malam Habibu Dauda, on his own appealed to the public to remain calm and refrain from spreading unverified information until the relevant authorities release an official statement.
Sources disclose that families have been asked to identify the bodies of the victims so far recovered for burial.
