Online Reporter
An overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwest Sokoto state, with around 40 bodies of children recovered so far, a local official at the inland waterways authority said yesterday.
“I can confirm that so far around 40 corpses of children have been recovered,” Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority said in a statement to Reuters.
The accident occurred yesterday morning when passengers were heading either to plant or to harvest rice, said Sarkin Daji, a traditional leader in the area.
“Our local divers recovered the bodies and the search is still ongoing,” local resident Nasiru Gorau said.
Deadly boat accidents are common in Nigeria, where vessels often operate unsafely. In January, at least 25 people died when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria. — Reuters
