By Muhammad Sabiu
Following a boat tragedy on the Shagari River in the Shagari local government area of Sokoto state, 26 people have been confirmed deceased, with the search continuing.
Aliyu Dantani, Chairman of Shagari Council Area, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Wednesday that the accident happened on Tuesday evening.
Dantani added that 21 of the 26 bodies retrieved were women, while five were children, and that a search and rescue attempt was still underway.
On the other hand, the chairman stated that the exact number of passengers on the boat could not be determined right away.
He said that local divers were currently in the river, trying to figure out how to recover dead or save lives.