At least 32 people have died in Nigeria's northern Niger state after a boat sank in a river, an official has told the BBC.
The boat was reportedly overloaded, carrying about 100 passengers including women and children, capsized when it struck a submerged tree stump on the River Niger in the Borgu area on Tuesday morning.
They were on their way to a nearby village to pay their respects to the family of someone who had recently died.
Abdullahi Baba Ara, the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) in the state, told BBC Hausa on Thursday that more than 50 other people had been rescued, with eight still missing.
Search operations are continuing.
Mr. Ara stated that the government had established a team of 'water marshals' to prevent boat operators from overloading their vessels and to ensure that passengers wear life jackets.
'Perhaps the water marshals were not on duty when this boat took off,' he said, adding that investigations had started.
A local district head reported being present at the scene soon after the accident, stating, 'I was at the scene yesterday around 12 pm until 4 pm. The boat carried more than 100 people. We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed.'
Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, often due to overloading, poor regulation, and inadequate safety measures. Recent incidents have renewed discussions on the necessity for strict enforcement of safety protocols in water travel within the country.
Despite mandatory regulations for life jacket usage, compliance remains low, leading to tragic outcomes such as this recent incident. Authorities are now implementing campaigns to heighten safety awareness and prevent future mishaps in Nigeria's waterways.
The boat was reportedly overloaded, carrying about 100 passengers including women and children, capsized when it struck a submerged tree stump on the River Niger in the Borgu area on Tuesday morning.
They were on their way to a nearby village to pay their respects to the family of someone who had recently died.
Abdullahi Baba Ara, the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) in the state, told BBC Hausa on Thursday that more than 50 other people had been rescued, with eight still missing.
Search operations are continuing.
Mr. Ara stated that the government had established a team of 'water marshals' to prevent boat operators from overloading their vessels and to ensure that passengers wear life jackets.
'Perhaps the water marshals were not on duty when this boat took off,' he said, adding that investigations had started.
A local district head reported being present at the scene soon after the accident, stating, 'I was at the scene yesterday around 12 pm until 4 pm. The boat carried more than 100 people. We were able to recover 31 corpses from the river. The boat was also recovered and removed.'
Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, often due to overloading, poor regulation, and inadequate safety measures. Recent incidents have renewed discussions on the necessity for strict enforcement of safety protocols in water travel within the country.
Despite mandatory regulations for life jacket usage, compliance remains low, leading to tragic outcomes such as this recent incident. Authorities are now implementing campaigns to heighten safety awareness and prevent future mishaps in Nigeria's waterways.
