Adamawa govt confirms 8 dead in canoe accident, 7 still missing

<p>The Adamawa State on Saturday said eight people had been confirmed dead after a canoe accident in Yola South Local Government Area.</p>, <p>A boat carrying 23 passengers had capsized in Njuwa Lake at Rugange, a village in the Yola South LGA, early on Friday, with the government confirming one dead as search operations continued.</p>, <p>Eight people had been rescued and eight bodies found, leaving seven other people yet to be accounted for.</p>, <p>The Executive Secretary of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, ADSEMA, Mohamed Suleiman, gave the update when he accompanied the state Deputy Governor, Prof Kaletapwa Farauta, on a sympathy visit to families of the affected people.</p>, <p>The ADSEMA boss assured that rescue efforts were on to determine the fate of the passengers that were yet to be tracked.</p>, <p>At the scene of the canoe accident, the deputy governor said a directive had been given for provision of life jackets for canoe users, to check casualty in case of future accidents.</p>, <p>She advised residents of riverine communities, other canoe users, and operators of canoes to monitor weather conditions, including likelihood of rain and storm before embarking on any journey.</p>, <p>DAILY POST reports that the canoe accident of Friday was attributed by sources to a rain storm which hit the canoe and threw it off balance.</p>