A routine crossing in northwest Nigeria turned into a mass tragedy when an overloaded boat flipped in Sokoto state, killing at least 50 people—most of them children—according to witnesses.
The boat went down near Gorau in Goronyo local government area, and search-and-rescue operations were still under way, Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with the National Inland Waterways Authority, said.
A Reuters witness counted 50 bodies laid out in the forecourt of a community mosque in Gorau, many wrapped in mats and traditional cloth, as families prepared for burials.
Fatal boat accidents occur with troubling frequency across Nigeria. Overcrowding, poor vessel upkeep and lax enforcement of safety rules have repeatedly been blamed for disasters on rivers and inland waterways, especially during the rainy season.
One resident said the boat had been transporting farm owners and labourers brought in to harvest rice, and estimated that more than 70 people were aboard when it capsized.
Another resident put the number onboard at 57.
Yusuf said rescuers had recovered the bodies of around 40 children.
Nasiru Adamu, a politician in the Sokoto state legislature representing the area, said most passengers were between 10 and 15 years old and 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,” eyewitness Sharhabilu Kiliya said.
Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the state’s emergency management agency, said officials were on their way to the site and would release more details later.
In January, at least 25 people died in northeast Nigeria’s Yobe state after a leaking boat capsized.
