Dozens of people are missing after an overloaded boat with about 200 passengers sank on Wednesday in the Niger River in the northwestern state of Kebbi.
The boat left central Niger State and was on its way to Kebbi when it split and sank, said Abdullahi Buhari Wara, Ngaski District Administrative Manager. The wooden boat had about 200 passengers on board, while previous reports say 160.
“Bodies are still recovering. We cannot determine the number at this time,” said Yahaya Sarki, a spokesman for the governor of Kebbi.
One survivor, Buhari Abubakar, said about 40 people had been rescued so far, although many of the other passengers, mostly women and children, were still missing.
Five bodies were recovered as of Wednesday night, although locals expect more to wash up in the next few days, said Qasimu Umar Wara, a resident of Wara.
“The boat was overloaded,” he said. My brother is among the missing. This is the worst boat accident that has happened in this water. “
Many of the passengers returned from a newly discovered golden vein in Niger, Wara said.
“They usually go there in the evenings and return to Wara in the morning,” he said. “Most of them are retailers, groceries and local miners.”
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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