Jigawa canoe mishap: I thought we were all dead – Survivor recounts near-death experience

Survivors of the tragic canoe mishap astatine Malamawar Yandutse successful Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State person recounted their harrowing experiences, describing however section fishermen and farmers risked their lives to rescue them from the river.

The mishap occurred erstwhile a canoe ferrying astir 40 passengers, mostly women and children, capsized portion they were returning from atom farms.

Survivors said the canoe had reached the mediate of the stream erstwhile it abruptly became unstable and overturned, throwing everyone into the water. Many passengers, incapable to swim, cried retired for assistance arsenic they struggled to enactment afloat.

Seventeen-year-old survivor, Anti Haruna, who was rescued unconscious, said fishermen and farmers responded instantly aft proceeding their cries for help.

“We thought we were each going to die. The villagers arrived rapidly with their canoes and began pulling radical retired of the h2o 1 aft another. Some adjacent jumped into the stream to rescue children and the elderly. Without their courage, galore much radical would person died.”

One of the oldest survivors, Fatsima, who is inactive confined to her sickbed, narrated the terrifying moments she endured during the accident.

“We were returning location from the atom farms erstwhile the canoe abruptly capsized. Everyone was struggling to prevention themselves. My hijab became tr...