Authorities in Nigeria have confirmed that a total of thirteen people were confirmed to have died and more than a dozens are missing after a boat ferrying around 100 passengers capsized in Niger State in North-central Nigeria as they headed to market.
An official of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Yusuf Lemu told journalists yesterday that twenty-six people, mostly women and children, were rescued from the wooden boat.
A local official identified as Isiyaku Akilu said the boat driver, who was among those rescued, could not confirm the number of passengers on the boat.
“The exact cause of the accident is yet to be determined, but from all indications, it appears to be due to overloading,” said Akilu.
A member of the Boat Drivers’ Union, Adamu Ahmad, confirmed that the boat was overloaded and said it was a large wooden boat and efforts are being made to recover more bodies.
Niger State is also home to Nigeria’s three major hydroelectric dams, and boat accidents have become a frequent occurrence and the latest accident happened nine months after a boat carrying mostly women and children returning from a religious festival capsized and killed at least 60 people.
Akilu told reporters that it is reported that rescue efforts were momentarily paused yesterday afternoon to allow the custodian of the river to perform rituals that would ensure a “hitch-free rescue mission”,
Additional Reporting from Associated Press
