A tragedy struck on Sunday at Kabala Doki, a community in Kaduna North LGA when a farmer got drowned and eight other people survived a canoe accident in the state.
Daily Trust gathered that the incident happened around 8:30 am on Sunday when the victim, identified simply as Umar, paddled the canoe to help the people stranded on the other side of the river but the canoe capsized.
A resident who identified himself as Murtala Kabala told Daily Trust that the victim was popular in the community and owed a farm close to the river
“It is worrisome because Umar knew how to swim and had been at the riverside for years farming. This is why we were surprised to learn he got drowned in the same river while trying to rescue people who got stranded on the other side of the river. May Allah forgives his shortcomings,” he said.
It was learnt that Umar was the only one that drowned; all others onboard survived.
Confirming the incident, the Kaduna North Local Government Chairman, Muktar Baloni, who confirmed the incident, told Daily Trust that his body had not been recovered yet.
He lamented that part of the local government area got flooded, saying the council was compiling details of affected houses to assist the victims.
