More than 100 feared dead in Nigeria boat accident

Over 100 people are feared dead after a boat carrying mostly women and children capsized in Nigeria, rescue workers said as they pulled more bodies from the River Niger on Thursday.

Around 300 passengers were on their way to celebrate the Muslim festival Mawlid in north-central Niger State when the accident took place on Tuesday, the state’s emergency agency said.

Thirty-six dead bodies have now been found and 150 survivors rescued, spokesman Ibrahim Audu Husseini told AFP.

“We have recovered 20 more bodies today. This brings to 36 the number of bodies recovered from the river.”

There was “no possibility” of finding others alive, he said. “There is no way one can survive three days underwater. The work now is to recover all the missing bodies.”

The agency did not specify the cause of the sinking in Gbajibo community, near Mokwa, but said it took place after dark at around 8:30 pm (1930 GMT).

Boat accidents are common on Nigeria’s poorly regulated waterways, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and lakes swell.

Nigeria’s waterways authority has tried in the past to prohibit night-time travel on rivers and says overloading vessels is a crime, but crews often break regulations.

Last month, an overloaded boat sank while carrying more than 50 farmers across the Gummi River in Zamfara State. Over 40 are believed to have died.

In June 2023, over 100 people died when a riverboat carrying around 250 passengers capsized in north-central Kwara state, one of the country’s deadliest waterway accidents in years.

In a statement late on Thursday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed sympathy for the victims and called for an investigation into recent boat accidents.

“President Tinubu commiserates with the families of the victims and prays for the repose of the souls of the dead,” the presidency said.

The president urged officials to make sure boat operators violating the ban on travelling at night were brought to justice.

Tinubu also thanked emergency workers and praised local divers helping in the search.