Benue Boat Accident: SEMA Says Dozens May Still Be Trapped Underwater

The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) says the operation to recover victims of last Saturday’s boat accident has shifted from rescue to recovery, as concerns grow that dozens of people may have died in the disaster.

The wooden canoe reportedly capsized around midday while crossing the river with more than 100 people on board. Several passengers and motorcycles were trapped underwater after the vessel overturned.

SEMA Head of Information Unit, Tema Ager, said two more bodies were recovered from the river on Sunday when officials assessed the accident site. He said the agency was still working to determine the exact number of people who were on the boat.

The scale of the incident is partly linked to the 38 motorcycles that sank with the canoe. Ager said each motorcycle was reportedly carrying three people, meaning at least 114 people were associated with the motorcycles involved in the crossing.

However, SEMA stressed that the figure does not represent a confirmed passenger count. Some mourners reportedly travelled independently to a burial and joined the boat at the riverbank on their return, while others were already waiting at the crossing point.

Ager said officials were interviewing surviving motorcycle riders to establish who travelled with each rider. People who could not be accounted for through the riders were being treated as potentially missing and possibly still underwater.

He estimated that more than 30 people could still be trapped beneath the water, although authorities have yet to establish a final casualty figure. The search and recovery operation was continuing at the scene.

The accident has also left dozens of motorcycles submerged. According to Ager, canoe association members had recovered 10 of the 38 motorcycles as of Sunday, leaving 28 still underwater.

SEMA said the canoe was reportedly newly built and was on its maiden journey when it capsized. Ager attributed the accident partly to overloading, noting that the vessel was carrying both passengers and motorcycles.

He urged river transport operators to reduce the number of passengers and goods carried at once and ensure that passengers use life jackets. He said life jackets had previously been supplied to some operators by the National Emergency Management Agency and SEMA but were apparently not being used.

Ager acknowledged that safety advice alone may not be enough to prevent similar disasters without an effective enforcement mechanism. He called for greater attention to safety regulations in riverine communities to reduce the risk of further loss of life.