SOKOTO, Nigeria — A boat capsized on a river in Nigeria's northwestern Sokoto state on Thursday, killing dozens of people, according to local officials and residents. The accident occurred near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area as rescue efforts continued.
The vessel was transporting more than 80 individuals, most of them workers traveling to farms in Gorau town. A witness observed 50 bodies laid out in the forecourt of a mosque in Gorau awaiting burial.
Ibrahim Musa, a former councillor in Gorau, said the toll was rising as recovery continued. "We already buried 46 bodies and five others have just been brought out of the river," Musa said.
Among the dead was Jamila Usman, 13, granddaughter of resident Samaila Garba. Garba said that during the rainy season, many women and children travel to farms for work.
Another resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, who regularly uses the same waterway to reach his farm, said the loss had affected nearly every family in the community.
Dahir Kure, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in Sokoto state, confirmed that rescue operations were underway. Abdulkadir Yusuf, the Sokoto state manager for the National Inland Waterways, confirmed the boat was carrying over 80 people.
Authorities have not issued an official death toll.
Boating accidents are a recurring hazard on Nigeria's busy rivers and waterways, with dozens of drownings reported annually. These incidents are often attributed to vessel overloading, inadequate maintenance or failure to follow safety regulations.
Last month, a boat accident in Jigawa state killed at least five people. In January, another boat carrying farmers and fishermen capsized while traveling from Jigawa to Yobe state, killing at least 26 individuals.
