- At least 40 bodies have been recovered in Sokoto
- Most of the victims were reportedly children
- Rescue teams are still searching for survivors
At least 40 bodies, many of them children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat overturned in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, officials and residents said on Thursday.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the incident occurred near Gorau, where rescue teams were continuing efforts to search the waterway and recover more victims.
Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with the National Inland Waterways Authority, said about 40 bodies of children had been recovered from the scene.
However, Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker representing the affected area in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, put the death toll at 43, while 16 people were reportedly rescued.
Residents gave varying accounts of the number of people on board. One resident said the vessel was transporting rice farmers and hired workers returning to their farms and had more than 70 people aboard, while another estimated the number at 57.
Mustapha Umar, the Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, said officials were on their way to the scene and would provide further details.
Boat accidents remain a recurring problem on Nigeria’s inland waterways, with overcrowding, poor maintenance and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations often cited as contributing factors.
In January, at least 25 people were reported killed after a leaking boat capsized in Yobe
