At least 60 people have died and dozens more have been rescued after a boat carrying more than 100 passengers capsized in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State.
The vessel departed from the town of Tungan Sule in Malale district at about 11am on Tuesday morning, and was heading towards the town of Dugga on Nigeria’s Kainji reservoir.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency said that the incident occurred when a vessel struck a submerged tree stump near the Gausawa community in Borgu Local Government Area.
“The cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump,” The agency told journalists.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency that said women and children were on board the vessel, which it said was heading to Dugga for a “condolence visit”.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency Director General and Chairman of Borgu Local Government Area Abdullahi Baba Ara said the number of casualties was still rising while rescue operations were continuing for possible recovery of missing persons and the death toll of the boat incident has risen to 60 in total.
“Ten people have been found in serious condition, and many are still being sought,” He added.
The District Head of Shagumi, Sa’adu Inuwa Muhammad who visited the scene shortly after the accident occurred, said the boat was carrying more than 100 people.
“We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed,” He told journalists.
Muhammad said that women and children made up the majority of the deceased and added that four victims have already been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.
It is well-known that boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria’s riverine communities especially during the rainy season from March to October, when rivers and lakes overflow due to lax safety enforcement, overcrowding and poorly maintained vessels.
It should be remembered that in August this year more than 40 people were declared missing after a boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern State of Sokoto due to overloading.
Additional Reporting from Associated Press.
