From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
many residents, including staff, friends and families of five students of Victory International Schools, Angwan Yelwa, Television Garage in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State, who drowned and disappeared in River Kaduna, when their boat capsized during an excursion on Wednesday are still in shock.
Available data indicated that about 73 students of the school embarked on the excursion, after they paid N500 for the adventure, which later turned sour.
The students were said to have arrived Kaduna State Water Board pump station, located around the Railway Station axis of the metropolis, at about 11:00am on Wednesday, accompanied by two staff of the school.
The victims, all Senior Secondary School II students, according to a source, were four boys and one girl namely; Priscilla Romania (female), Goodness Aromilade, Monday Umahi, Joseph Benedict and David Ukegbu, aged between 14 and 16.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Aliyu Mukhtar, who had earlier confirmed the incident to Daily Sun said two bodies have been recovered from different parts of the river yesterday afternoon.
One of the victims, who was rescued after the boat capsized, said the tour-guide never told them the crane that controls the boat was unable to support heavy weight and that may have resulted in breaking of connecting metals holding the frames. He said that he escaped narrowly by clinging unto one of the iron supports immediately after the saga.
“I then managed to come out be swimming. My friends were also trying to come out but the pressure of the water was much, so they could not,” he added.