Boat carrying over 70 mourners capsizes in Benue, several missing

A wooden boat conveying more than 70 mourners and over 30 motorcycles across the River Katsina-Ala at the Buruku Local Government Area, LGA, crossing point in Benue State, capsized Saturday morning, leaving several passengers missing.

The incident occurred at about 11am as the passengers, said to be mostly from Mbayon in Gboko LGA, were returning from the burial of a relative on the other side of the river.

Several passengers were reportedly rescued following the mishap, while search and rescue operations continued as of Saturday afternoon for those still unaccounted for.

An eyewitness in the area said the boat was heavily overloaded when its engine reportedly developed a fault midway into the journey.

According to the eyewitness, “The boat was overloaded with many people and over 30 motorcycles, and they were coming from the Logo LGA side of the River at about 11am when the incident happened.

“Many persons have been rescued, but as we speak, I cannot tell you the actual number of persons that have not been seen or rescued from the river because the search is still ongoing. But many persons have not been seen as we speak.”

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Buruku Local Government Area, Mr Raymond Zege, said the victims were mourners from Gboko who had crossed the river to attend a burial.

Zege said the boat had more than 70 persons on board when its engine failed during the return journey, creating panic among the passengers.

According to him, “The victims were mourners from Gboko who went for a burial on the other side of the river. They boarded a boat which was overloaded with over 70 persons. In the middle of the journey the engine of the boat failed, and they became panicky.

“And they also ran into a heavy wave, and the boat capsized before the boat that was sent to rescue them got to them.”

The council chairman said the exact number of missing passengers had yet to be established, adding that rescue workers had already recovered a large number of the passengers.

“At the time we speak, we do not know the number of persons missing. So far we have not seen about six persons, but we have rescued over 60. Search and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.

Zege also appealed to residents and other commuters using the waterway to comply with maritime safety regulations, particularly the use of life jackets.

He said the local government had provided life jackets for commuters using the route but noted that some passengers often resisted efforts by maritime workers to enforce their use.

“People can be very difficult. There is a law, and we have provided life jackets for every commuter crossing that route. When they come and the maritime workers try to enforce the law, some commuters complain that they have health issues or that they do not want to share life jackets used by other people.

“We have provided the jackets, and the state government is also supporting efforts to ensure that maritime safety regulations are enforced,” he said.

According to the chairman, “Sometimes the maritime officials come for enforcement, including at night. People should cooperate with them because the safety measures are meant to protect lives,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Benue State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Hon. Denis Iyaghigba, confirmed the incident in a statement he personally signed on Saturday.

The commissioner said he had received preliminary reports of the mishap and urged families and members of the public to remain calm while authorities continued efforts to establish the number of persons involved and rescue those who might still be trapped or missing.

“I have received preliminary reports of an unfortunate boat mishap at the Buruku crossing point this morning, Saturday, 3rd October, 2026,” Iyaghigba said.

“I wish to assure members of the public, particularly families of those who may have been aboard the boat, to remain calm and await verified information from the appropriate authorities. No effort will be spared to ensure their safety.”

Iyaghigba said he had directed boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and support the ongoing search and rescue operation.

“I have directed the boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and assist in the ongoing search and rescue operation,” he said.

He added that “further details will be communicated as the rescue operation progresses.”

As of the time of filing this report, search and rescue operations were still ongoing, while authorities had yet to release a final figure for the number of passengers aboard the boat and those still missing.