The official said the efforts of the police and fishermen in the area led to the rescue of 26 passengers.

The Police Command in Benue on Thursday confirmed the death of six persons in a boat mishap which occurred in Guma Local Government Area of the state.

This is contained in a statement issued in Makurdi and signed by the command's spokesperson, Sewuese Anene.

The statement said that the command got information on Tuesday at 1.00 p.m. that a boat transporting 40 passengers from Guma LGA to Buruku LGA for business capsized in the river around Fada Village in Guma LGA of the state.

Mr Anene said the efforts of the police and fishermen in the area led to the rescue of 26 passengers who were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.

She said that six corpses were recovered and a search for the remaining eight passengers was ongoing.

The police spokesperson said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Wale Abass, had commiserated with the families and the friends of the victims.

She added that the CP charged travellers who choose water transportation to employ maximum safety measures while travelling especially now that the volume of water was very high.

Premium Times earlier reported how at least eight people died from another boat accident in Yobe State.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon when two passenger boats bound for the Babangida weekly market capsized. Two people were initially confirmed dead from the accident.