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BBC Pidgin of Sunday, 18 June 2023

Source: BBC

Divers rescue 144 pipo from Kwara boat accident, many still dey miss

Picture from the boat mishap incident Picture from the boat mishap incident

Police Kwara State, North central Nigeria say emergency workers and local residents don rescue 144 pipo from di river Niger.

Di survivors dey among di nearly 300 passengers wey involve for di boat accident on Monday. Several odas still dey missing.

Okasanmi Ajayi, tok tok pesin for Kwara state Police command say part of di boat di engine side collapse, wey allow water flood di boat, wey make am capsize.

“Among di casualties na pipo from Ebu Village wit 61 casualties, Dzakan Village wit 38, Kpada Village wit 4 dead, and three other casualties from Kogi State, putting di total number of casualties at 106 and di total number of rescued pipo at about 144,” e tok.

Although di police put di casualty figure at 106, di traditional ruler of Patigi district wia di accident occur bin don tell tori pipo, at least one-hundred-and-fifty pipo na im drown as di boat sink in di middle of di river.

Problem of overloading & no life jackets

Tori be say di incident happun for Egbu village, Patigi local government of Kwara state – to pipo wey dey return from Egboti village for Niger State.

As at Tuesday di Emir or Etsu of Patigi Emirate Council, His Royal Highness Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi, wey confam di incident say, dem don rescue 53 pipo alive, 150 dey confam dead and more dan 90 pipo still dey miss.

Oga Bologi say rescue workers still dey dey search for di pipo wey dey miss.

“Di local pipo for di community dey do dia best currently to see how to recover di oda deadi body dem wey remain for di water, “ di Emir tok.

Oga Bologi attribute di accident to di problem of overloading, as e say most owners no sabi di capacity of dia boat.

Anoda wahala wey lead to so many death according to di traditional ruler na di lack of life jackets.

E say although dem get some live jackes, e no dey enof to go round di many pasengers wey dey travel by water, especially as Pategi dey surrounded by water.

Di boat accident affect pipo from many different communities including Ebu, Dzakan, Kpada, Kuchalu and Sampi – all for inside di Pategi local goment.

Search and rescure operation still dey go on

Search and rescue efforts still dey go on but hopes of finding more survivors dey reduce.

Tori be say di passengers bin dey returning from one wedding party for neighbouring Niger State.

Boat accidents dey common for Nigeria, usually na overloading, poor maintenance, or heavy flooding during di rainy season dey cause am.

About fourteen people died last month when a vessel capsized in nearby Sokoto state.