Aug 20 (Reuters) – At least 40 bodies, mostly of children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwest Sokoto state, local officials and residents said on Thursday.
The accident happened near Gorau in Goronyo local government area and rescue efforts are continuing, said Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager at the National Inland Waterways Authority.
Yusuf said around 40 children’s bodies had been found, while a lawmaker at the Sokoto state legislature from the area, Nasiru Adamu, said the death toll now stood at 43, with 16 rescued.
One local resident said the boat had been carrying farm owners and labourers hired to harvest rice and that more than 70 people had been onboard when it capsized. Another resident said there were 57 people on board.
Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the state’s emergency management agency, said officials were heading to the scene and would provide further information later.
Deadly boat accidents are common in Nigeria, where overcrowding, poor maintenance and weak enforcement of safety regulations often contribute to disasters on the country’s rivers and waterways.
In January, at least 25 people died when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria.
(Reporting by Hamza Ibrahim in Kano and Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri;Writing by Ben Ezeamalu and Chijioke Ohuocha;Editing by Alexander Winning and Gareth Jones)
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