2023-06-14 02:06:25
More than 100 people have died in north central Nigeria following a boat carrying families returning from a wedding sank in a river, police and local authorities said on Tuesday.
The river boat was ferrying its passengers to Kwara State from Niger State (west) when the accident happened, local police and the state governor’s office said, which did not say. clarified the causes of the sinking.
“Research is still ongoing, which means the toll may still climb,” he added.
The victims were back in Patigi district, Kwara State, following performing a wedding in Niger State, according to the Kwara State Governor’s Office.
The accident occurred on the route between Egboti, in Niger State, and Kpada, in Kwara State, said in a press release Rafiu Ajakaye, spokesman for the governor.
The governor expressed his “sadness” following the drama which involved “in particular residents of Ebu, Dzakan, Kpada, Kuchalu and Sampi”, localities of the State of Patigi.
It “sends its sincere condolences to these communities as well as those in other states”, given that passengers from other parts of the country were on board.
“The governor, meanwhile, continues to monitor the relief efforts already mobilized since Monday night in search of possible survivors.”
Frequent accidents
Shipwrecks on Nigeria’s rivers and rivers are common. They are generally due to overloaded boats, their poor maintenance, or non-compliance with safety rules.
Last month, 15 children drowned and 25 others went missing following an overloaded boat capsized in the northwestern state of Sokoto as they set out to collect firewood.
At the beginning of December 2021, the sinking of another overloaded ship left 29 dead, the majority of them children.
During major floods in the country last December, in the middle of the rainy season, at least 76 people lost their lives when their boat sank in a flooded river in Anambra State (southeast ).
The Niger River is the main waterway in West Africa and a key trade route for several countries, including Nigeria.
The national river regulation authority has tried to ban night navigation with the aim of reducing accidents, also claiming that overloading a boat is an offence. But sailors often ignore these rules.
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