A boat carrying residents returning from a wedding capsized in northern Nigeria, killing about 100 people, police and local residents said, as a search for survivors intensified.
The boat capsized early Monday on the Niger River in the state of Kwara close to neighbouring Niger state, police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi said on Tuesday.
“What we gathered was there was a boat that capsized and about 100 people died,” he said.
The victims, including women and children, were returning from a wedding in the village of Egboti in Niger state, said resident Usman Ibrahim.
It was not immediately clear whether there were survivors.
“People in the boat were to take their bikes to their various communities [upon disembarking]. The boat was carrying more than 100 people when it sank,” said Ibrahim.
Many of the victims drowned because the accident happened at about 3am [02:00 GMT] and not many knew of it until hours later, he said. “Up till now, some dead bodies are still being searched [for].”
Local daily Nigerian Tribune reported that the passengers were from Kpada, Egbu and Gakpan villages in Kwara.
“What we hear from various sources in that area is that at least 64 people came from one village and about 40 from another village,” said Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from the capital, Abuja.
He added that funerals had already been held “for at least 60 people who were killed in the accident”.
“What we know so far is that most of the passengers were not wearing any protective gear like life vests,” Idris said, adding that rescue operations were under way.
There have been similar mishaps in the past in the area, which is close to the confluence between the rivers Niger and Benue, two of Africa’s longest.
In May 2021, a boat sank on the Niger around the same area, according to another local daily The Guardian. As many as 160 people died in that accident.
Source: Aljazeera and news agencies