Dozens of people have died when a boat capsized on a river in northwest Nigeria, according to officials and residents in Sokoto state. The boat may have been carrying workers heading to farms in Gorau town. Rescue efforts are continuing on Thursday near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area.
Authorities did not provide an official death toll, but a news agency witness saw 50 bodies – many wrapped in mats and traditional cloth – lying in the forecourt of a mosque in Gorau ahead of their burial. A former councillor in Gorau told the news agency that dozens had already been buried. Another resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, said he goes to his farm using the same waterway and considers himself lucky not to have been on the boat.
Dahir Kure, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in the state, told that rescue operations were underway. Boating accidents are common with dozens drowning each year on Nigeria’s busy rivers and waterways, often caused by overloading, poor maintenance or failure to comply with safety regulations. Another boat capsized in Jigawa state last month where at least five people drowned.
In January, at least 26 people drowned when a boat carrying farmers and fishermen from Jigawa to Yobe state also capsized.
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