Two children die, others injured in Niger boat fire

A boat accident has claimed the lives of two children and injured two other persons in Katcha Local Government Area of Niger State.

The boat was said to have caught fire following a mechanical fault in the engine which inflamed a jerrycan of petrol stored inside the boat.

The overseeing Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Salihu Garba, made this known in a WhatsApp message he sent to The PUNCH on Saturday, in which he said the incident happened at 6 pm on Friday

According to Garba, the boat had 145 passengers on board.

“NSEMA has received a report of another boat mishap that claimed 2 lives of children and injured 2 persons in Katcha LGA.

“The incident occurred yesterday 20/10/2023 at about 6 pm when the boat engine caught fire due to mechanical failure and inflamed a jerican of petrol stored inside the boat that had 145 people on board.

“The occupants are from the Danbo community in Kogi State, they were on their way back from Katcha Market.

“So far, one corpse has been recovered while the search is still ongoing for the second,” he said

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