At least 50 people, most of them children, were killed when an overloaded boat overturned in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state, witnesses said.
The vessel capsized near Gorau, in Goronyo local government area, while rescue operations remained underway, according to Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with the National Inland Waterways Authority.
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A Reuters witness reported seeing 50 bodies laid out in the forecourt of a community mosque in Gorau before burial. Many of the victims were covered with mats and traditional cloth.
Boat disasters occur frequently in Nigeria, where overcrowding, inadequate maintenance and limited enforcement of safety rules have repeatedly been linked to fatal accidents on rivers and waterways. The risks often increase during the rainy season.
A resident said 57 people had been aboard the boat.
Yusuf said rescue teams had recovered the bodies of about 40 children.
Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker in the Sokoto state legislature who represents the area, said most passengers were between 10 and 15 years old. He added that 16 people had been rescued.
“We have buried 46 people, and even more dead bodies have just been brought. The death toll is 53,” said Sharhabilu Kiliya, an eyewitness.
Mustapha Umar, the state emergency management agency’s director of relief and rehabilitation, said officials were travelling to the site and would release additional information later.
In January, at least 25 people were killed after a leaking boat overturned in Yobe state, in northeastern Nigeria.
