By Ismail Auwal
Fours siblings drowned and another went missing after a boat capsized on Wednesday in Yauri, Kebbi State.
The boat was carrying the family of the affected victims to a farm across a river when the incident occurred following strong winds.
Musa Labaran, the father of the affected victim, told the BBC Hausa service that he made frantic efforts to save the fifth child while the boat was capsized.
“It was caused by strong winds when we were in the middle of the river and the boat capsized. I couldn’t hold all five of them so I held the one closest to me (a girl) in an effort to save her. I was swimming towards the bank of the river but she (girl) lost grip of me and all my efforts to grab her again didn’t succeed.”
Labaran said despite the quick beginning of rescue operations by people, it took a while before the bodies of the four children were recovered.
“All the four dead bodies recovered were of my children. Three boys and a girl. The fifth one is a boy and he is my son too. His body has not been found yet. They are still searching for the body,” he added.
Last year, 100 people lost their lives to boat accidents in Kebbi State.
