The ‎Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Kogi state, Timothy Ojomah, has said that search and rescue operations are ongoing in the boat accident that occurred in the state on Tuesday.

Ojomah, who was a guest on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Thursday, also said about 11 corpses were recovered from the accident.

“The traders were trying to get to Ilushi market in Edo State to sell their food products and, at the same time, buy some items for the October 1 celebration.

“Unfortunately, when they got to the middle of the river, the boat had issues, it broke, and about 82 occupants had to scramble for survival.

“As soon as the incident occurred, distress calls were sent out, and it got to NEMA and Edo State, and they responded promptly,” he said.

He added, “Out of this number, 82, about 46 survived, and they were able to rescue them. I met with some of the survivors.

‎”This morning, they will be going out to look for more corpses. As of yesterday, 11 corpses were found.

“You know the river is large. So, if some were already rescued and some corpses recovered, it is expected that others would have drowned. But as it is, we have rescued 46 of them as of yesterday.”

READ ALSO: NEMA Confirms Over 10 Dead, 24 Rescued, 42 Missing In Kogi Boat Mishap

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday confirmed more than 10 deaths, 24 passengers rescued, and 42 still missing from the mishap.