2 Pregnant Women, 7-year-old, 5 Others Drown In Kaduna River

Eight people, including 5 members of a single family, lost their lives on Monday after a boat capsized in Kagom river area of Jema’a local government in Kaduna State.Residents told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the boat which was conveying 9 farmers to their farmlands overturned, killing 8 while only one of the farmers survived.LEADERSHIP gathered that among the dead are two pregnant women who were also going to the farm.
The district head of Kagom community, Ibrahim Bawa told our correspondent that four dead bodies had been recovered and buried by local divers.He lamented that government’s nonchalance to the community’s plight led to the calamity.“We have written to the government to help build another bridge for us, but nobody cares whether we exist here, they only come to us when it’s election time.“We have written severally, appealing to government to even buy us a speed boat since they cannot construct the bridge, but the government refused to listen to us,” he narrated.According to him, the mishap was avoidable had government acted on their request.A local diver, Bulus also told our correspondent that he and others are still searching for the other dead bodies.According to him, “The boat capsized in Kagom River. At the end of the rescue operation, a total of four persons were dead, one rescued alive, while search is still ongoing for the remaining persons who were said to be aboard the boat,” he said.Meanwhile, it is certainly not the best of times for residents of Anguwar Yelwa by Sabo Express, a suburb in the southern part of the state as flood waters took over their houses, leaving a seven year old girl dead.The flood which was as a result of heavy rainfall washed away properties, leading to the collapse of a building that killed the young girl.Residents of the affected area came out in their numbers and protested what they called the neglect of the government to fix part of the bride linking Ungwa Barde and Yelwa, saying it was because it got blocked that the flood overran their houses.