The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, has commiserated with the families of passengers who lost their lives in a boat accident on Thursday in Sokoto State.

Speaker Abbas described the mishap as “unfortunate and painful,” in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi.

The accident reportedly happened when a boat carrying 77 passengers, including men, women and children, reportedly capsized in Gorau community in the Goronyo Local Government Area of the state.

The Sokoto State Police Command had confirmed that 46 corpses had been recovered, with 15 passengers rescued alive, while rescue operations were still ongoing, as emergency responders were still searching for the 16 others.

The Speaker lamented the devastating impact of the accident and the grief it has caused various families.

Speaker Abbas therefore called for a thorough investigation of the mishap by relevant authorities to determine the factors responsible. He also called for the enforcement of safety regulations and adherence to rules by operators on the waterways.

The Speaker prayed to Allah (SWT) to grant the deceased Jannatul Firdausi, and the safe rescue of the remaining passengers. He extended his condolences to the people and the government of Sokoto State.