Boat capsizes with 22 passengers in Niger

<p>A boat carrying about 22 passengers on board from Kasabu village in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State to Yauri in Kebbi State has capsized.</p>, <p>Alhaji Salihu Garba, overseeing Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Monday.</p>, <p>He said that the agency received a report of the boat mishap that occurred on Monday between 11 am and 12 pm.</p>, <p>According to him, a survivor of the mishap said that the boat has about 22 passengers on board.</p>, <p>He said that search and rescue operations were ongoing by the local divers and boat owners under the supervision of the agency’s desk officer in Agwara.</p>, <p>He said no passenger has been recovered yet, adding that the mishap happened on Yauri market day.</p>, <p>Garba added that only after the market would families be able to declare their missing relatives.</p>, <p>He explained that it takes about 24 hours for any drowned person to surface atop water.</p>, <p>He attributed the cause of the incident to water hyacinth coupled with strong waves.</p>