President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened by news of the tragic death of some students of Victory College, Ungwan Yelwa, Kaduna, who drowned in River Kaduna while on an excursion.

His Spokesman Femi Adesina disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja. He said: “President Buhari’s thoughts and prayers are with the distraught families of the deceased and the management of the College, and he expresses heartfelt condolences to the Government and people of Kaduna State, during this difficult time.

“The President prays that God will comfort families and friends affected by the profound loss of these young minds, and he wishes speedy recovery to other staff and students, who are in shock over the unfortunate incident.”

Officials of the Kaduna State Emergency management Agency today recovered the bodies of the students with the support of the local divers.

The bodies have been deposited at the Saint Gerald Catholic Hospital in Kakuri, Kaduna.

The five students from a private secondary school were on Wednesday declared missing after a boat capsized in a river.

The students were reported to have slipped from an old barge and plunged into the water while on an excursion at a waterworks facility at the Kaduna River in the state capital.