Over 40 Killed In Boat Accident In Nigeria’s Sokoto State

LAGOS, Aug 21 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Over 40 people, mostly children, were killed after an overloaded boat carrying farmers and laborers capsized in northwestern Nigeria’s Sokoto state on Thursday, officials and witnesses said.

The boat overturned near Gorau town in Goronyo Local Government Area as passengers were travelling to farms to plant or harvest rice, according to Anadolu Ajansi.

Abdulkadir Yusuf, the Sokoto state manager of Nigeria’s National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), initially put the death toll at 40, saying the figure was still being confirmed.

However, a witness who spoke with Anadolu said about 47 bodies, many wrapped in mats and traditional cloth, were laid at a community mosque in Gorau ahead of burial on Thursday evening.

Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker representing the area in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, said most of those on board were aged between 10 and 15.

“The boat was carrying nearly 70 people. Although over 40 bodies have been recovered, 16 people have also been rescued as rescue efforts continue,” he told Anadolu.

Samaila Garba, a 55-year-old resident, said his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among those who died. Garba said he counted at least 42 bodies, most of them women and children.

Rescue operations were continuing as local divers searched the waterway for survivors and additional bodies.

The accident comes amid renewed concerns over safety on Nigeria’s inland waterways, where overcrowding, poor maintenance and weak enforcement of safety regulations have contributed to repeated fatal boat accidents, particularly during the rainy season.

In January, at least 25 people were killed when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe state, northeastern Nigeria.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU