by Stanley Azuakola

Just 24 hours after the Red Cross announced that since July, at least 137 people have died from flood-related causes in Nigeria, tragedy struck again when ten teenage girls were drowned in the Karim River in Taraba State.

The Karim River is fed by River Benue, and the water level of River Benue has surged greatly in recent times.

The girls were travelling to a wedding ceremony in a nearby village across the river by canoe, when the tragic incident occurred.

The head of the Red Cross in Taraba, Manja Agwe Matthew, announced that the bodies of three other girls who were also in the capsized boat, have still not been recovered.

“The bodies of 10 passengers in the canoe were recovered by local fishermen while search for the remaining three is still on,” he said.