At least 29 people have died and dozens more are missing after a boat carrying over 100 passengers capsized in north-central Nigeria’s Niger State, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said rescuers had recovered 29 bodies and rescued 50 survivors, while two passengers remained unaccounted for.
However, a local government official told Reuters that the death toll had already climbed to as high as 60, raising fears that the number of victims may increase further.
The accident occurred on Tuesday morning around 11 a.m. local time in Borgu Local Government Area. The boat departed from Tungan Sule in Malale district and was en route to Dugga when it struck a submerged tree stump near Gausawa community, causing it to overturn.
According to SEMA, the disaster was caused by overloading combined with the collision.
Fatal accidents are common on Nigeria’s busy inland waterways, often linked to overcrowding, poorly maintained vessels and weak enforcement of safety regulations.
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