Six missing, over 70 rescued as boat carrying mourners capsizes in Benue River

More than 70 passengers have been rescued while six others are still missing after a boat capsized at the Buruku crossing point on the Benue River in Benue State. 

It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 11am on Saturday, 3 October 2026, when a boat conveying passengers from Gboko Local Government Area who were travelling across the river for a burial ceremony reportedly capsized after its engine failed.

The Chairman of Buruku LGA, Mr Raymond Zege, who confirmed the incident to newsmen, said the boat was overloaded and that many of the passengers were not familiar with navigating the water, leading to panic when the engine failed.

He said efforts were made to bring other boats to the scene to rescue the passengers, but the weight of the boat and strong waves made the boat capsize.

“Yes, there were people from Gboko LG. They went for burial across the other side. On their way, they overloaded a boat but the issue was that the engine of the boat failed,” he said. 

"Most of them are not conversant with the water side, so they panicked and struggled with their movement. So before they could get them to the boats they were bringing to rescue them, because of the weight and the water waves, the boat sank.

“As I am speaking with you, we don’t know the exact number of people that are still missing. We have rescued over 70 people and we have not seen about six people."

He lamented people’s resistance to existing maritime laws, saying: “People can be very difficult. There is a law, and we have provided life jackets for every commuter crossing that route.

“When they come and the maritime workers try to enforce the law, some commuters complain that there are sicknesses all over the place and that they do not want to share life jackets," he said.

“We have provided the jackets, and the state government is also supporting efforts to ensure that maritime safety regulations are enforced.”

He urged the people to cooperate with the maritime officials to ensure the safety and protection of their lives.

In a statement issued to newsmen in Makurdi, the Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Benue State, Mr Denis Iyaghigba, said he had received preliminary reports of an unfortunate boat mishap at the Buruku crossing point.

He assured members of the public, particularly families of those who may have been aboard the boat, to remain calm and await verified information from the appropriate authorities, saying no effort will be spared to ensure their safety.

He said preliminary information available to him was that the boat was ferrying passengers when a strong water current swept it into an abandoned barge at a corner of the river, as a result of which the boat tumbled.

“I have directed the boat operators and their union downstream to mobilise and assist in the ongoing search and rescue operation. Further details will be communicated as the rescue operation progresses,” Iyaghigba said.