At least 46 people have died after a boat carrying more than 70 passengers capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State, with most of the victims reportedly children, according to a BBC report published Friday, August 21.
Police spokesperson Ahmed Rufai said the boat capsized on Thursday near Gorau in the Goronyo area. Rescue teams recovered 46 bodies from the scene, while 16 people were rescued alive. Another 15 passengers remain missing.
Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said rescue and emergency response teams, along with security agencies, were working to reach the accident site. NEMA spokesperson Ezekiel Manzo confirmed that efforts were underway.
A witness told Reuters that many of the children aboard the boat had been traveling with farm owners and laborers to work in rice fields. The witness said he saw around 50 bodies laid out on mats and wrapped in traditional cloth outside a local mosque before burial.
However, the witness’s account differs somewhat from the figures provided by local authorities regarding the number of bodies recovered and people still missing.
Many people in rural parts of Nigeria depend on waterways for transportation and the movement of goods because of limited road networks and a lack of bridges. However, overcrowded boats, inadequate maintenance and weak enforcement of safety regulations frequently contribute to deadly boat accidents across the country.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in Sokoto as authorities work to locate those still missing.
Source: BBC