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Nine members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Taraba state drowned in River Mayo-Selbe in Gashaka Local government Area of the state during the weekend.
It was reported that corps members, numbering up to 22, were on a swimming expedition in the river when a water surge from a nearby mountain collapsed on them and swept some of them deep into the massive river.
Taraba State Police Police Public Relations Officer, ASP David Missal, confirmed the death of nine corps members.
He said: “Information available revealed that 22 youth corps members had gone on a picnic party in River Mayo-Selbe in Gashaka LGA on Saturday when the incident happened.
“We were made to understand that while they were swimming in the river, there was sudden upsurge in the volume of water, which carried them away.
“Nine of them drowned, while others managed to escape. We have so far recovered seven bodies, while the search for the two remaining is still in progress.”
The state NYSC coordinator, Mrs. Florence Yaakugh, also confirmed the incident, saying: “It is a very sad development and we would soon have the identity of all the corps members involved in the accident and make such information known appropriately.
“We have very sketchy information indicating that nine of our corps members drowned in Gashaka yesterday.
“So far, seven bodies have been recovered and we are working with relevant persons to recover the rest of the bodies and to identify them.
“This is a very sad development and the entire NYSC family in Taraba State is already thrown into deep mourning.”