At least 29 individuals, including Islamiyya school children, were killed in a boat accident on Tuesday in the Bagwai River in Kano state's Bagwai Local Government Area.
About 50 people were on board, including Islamic schoolchildren who were attending an Islamic event.
Abdullahi Kiyawa, the police spokesperson in Kano, told our source on Wednesday evening that 36 passengers had been accounted for as a result of the incident.
He claimed that 29 of them had been pronounced dead by doctors, while seven others had been rescued and were being treated at Bagwai Hospital.
Mr. Kiyawa claimed that 21 of the 29 bodies found were girls and eight were males.
According to the authorities, four ladies and three guys were among the victims who were retrieved alive.
From Badau village to Bagwai town, the council headquarters, the boat was transporting Islamiyah schoolchildren and other people.
The victims were on their way to the Maulud festival in the Tofa local government district, which was a little further away.
As of Wednesday evening, a rescue mission involving local fishermen, fire officials, and the police was still underway, according to the police.
Ganduje: This is a state catastrophe.
Governor Abdullah Ganduje expressed his condolences to the families of the dead in a statement issued by his media adviser, Abba Anwar, who described the occurrence as a state tragedy.
"While we pray to Allah to pardon and bless the souls of those who have perished, and for a speedy recovery for those who are getting medical treatment in the hospital," the statement read, "I urge boat operators to always take the issue of overload extremely seriously."
Mr Ganduje urged boat operators to avoid overloading their boats, saying, "They (boat operators) should know that they can still make money without overloading their boats."
Mr Ganduje noted that the same axis was the site of a catastrophic tragedy a few years ago, cautioning that "the lives of our fellow human beings are too valuable to be jeopardized knowingly."
"We commend the rescue crews' bravery and patriotism," the governor stated.
