A boat mishap in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, has killed a prospective bride and seven other persons.
The boat capsized while its eleven occupants were reportedly sailing to reach the other side of the river on the fringes of Gusau, in search of potable water.
However, four women and four men drowned while three others survived as they swam to safety.
A local in Unguwan Bugaje, Gusau simply identified as Halilu, who spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa Service said the water in the Gusau river could only be used to wash clothes but not good for consumption.
He said people usually used the boat to cross over to the other side of the river where some well to-do individuals dug boreholes from where the people could get drinking water.
He lamented that the young lady who died was about to be married as the prospective groom had already presented the required materials for their marriage to her family.
Gusau, like other state capitals in the North-West has been hit by water scarcity, a situation that is forcing many residents to travel far from home in search of drinking water.