Dozens of people are missing after an overloaded boat with about 160 passengers sank in the Niger River on Wednesday, a local official said.
The boat left central Niger and headed for the northwestern state of Kebbi when it split and sank, said Abdullahi Buhari Wara, administrative director of the Ngaski district.
“A rescue operation is underway but only 22 survivors and a dead body have been recovered,” Wara said. “We are talking about about 140 passengers who are still missing.”
Boat strokes are common on Nigerian waterways due to congestion and lack of maintenance, especially during the annual rainy season.
Wara blamed the Kebbi accident for congestion because the boat was not intended to ferry more than 80 passengers.
The ship was also loaded with bags of sand from a gold mine, the official said.
Earlier this month, 30 people drowned when an overloaded boat capsized in the state of Niger.
The boat that ferries 100 local traders was split in two after hitting a stump during a storm when they returned from a local market, according to rescue officials.
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