Nigeria.- More than 100 people, most of them women and children, were reported missing after an overloaded boat that had taken them to an Islamic festival capsized in northwest Nigeria, authorities said yesterday.
The locally made boat, which had a capacity of 100 people, had approximately 300 people on board in the Niger River when it capsized in the Mokwa district of Niger state on Monday night, according to the Agency for the Emergency Management.
Such incidents are common in Nigeria, especially in remote communities where the lack of roads leaves many without alternatives. This is the fourth tragedy involving more than 100 passengers in northern Nigeria since mid-2023, and many of them have never been found.
The press reported that so far 11 bodies have been recovered from the river, nine men and two women.
At least 150 people were rescued Wednesday morning amid a frantic search operation supported by local divers and volunteers, according to Abdullahi Baba-Arah, director of Niger’s emergency services.
“The ship was not supposed to have more than 100 people on board, but there were almost 300 people on it. And that is what caused the shipwreck,” said Salihu Garba, director of relief and rehabilitation for the state emergency services.
Experts noted that most boat incidents in Nigeria in recent years increasingly point to regulatory failures and are often attributed to vessels that are well over capacity or in poor condition.
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