At least 51 people died Thursday when a boat sank in northwestern Nigeria’s Sokoto state, according to local accounts, while rescue crews continued searching the river for additional victims and possible survivors.
The accident occurred in Goronyo district, where residents said passengers were traveling to farmland on the opposite bank. Boat disasters are frequent on Nigeria’s heavily used rivers and waterways, with overloading, inadequate maintenance and breaches of safety rules often blamed. Dozens of people drown in such incidents each year.
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“The situation is bad,” Ibrahim Musa, a former councillor from Gorau village, told AFP.
“We already buried 46 bodies, and five others have just been brought out of the river.”
Ilyasu Adamu, a local farmer, said the vessel was “obviously overloaded” and sank about a minute after setting off. He said most of those aboard were women and children, including girls who were soon expected to marry. Adamu put the death toll at at least 48.
Dahir Kure, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in Sokoto state, said rescue teams were at the site and had begun operations.
“We are now at the scene of the boat accident and have begun rescue work,” Kure said.
He declined to provide an immediate toll, saying officials were still “collecting necessary information on the incident”.
The latest accident follows several other deadly boat disasters in northern Nigeria. At least five people drowned when a vessel capsized in Jigawa state last month.
In January, at least 26 people died after a boat carrying farmers and fishermen traveling from Jigawa to Yobe state overturned.
