Dozens dead after boat capsizes in northwestern Nigeria

Residents say at least 46 bodies already recovered, while rescue operations continue before officials can confirm death toll.

Dozens of people, mostly children, have died when a boat capsized on a river in northwest Nigeria, according to officials and residents in Sokoto state.

Rescue efforts are continuing on Thursday near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area, officials said.

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end of listAuthorities did not provide an official death toll, but a Reuters ⁠⁠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.

Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager at the National Inland Waterways Authority, said ⁠the bodies of around 40 children had been found. Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker at the Sokoto state legislature from the area, said that those onboard were mostly aged ⁠between 10 and 15 years old, adding that 16 people had been rescued.

A former councillor in Gorau told the AFP news agency that dozens had already been buried.

“The situation is bad,” Ibrahim Musa told AFP. “We already buried 46 bodies and five others have just been brought out of the river.”

Resident Samaila Garba said his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among the dead.

“You know, during the rainy season, most women and children go to the farm to work,” he told the Associated Press.

The boat may also have been carrying workers heading to farms in Gorau town, residents said.

One 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.

“In fact, almost every household in the community has been affected,” he told AP.

Dahir Kure, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency in the state, told AFP that rescue operations were continuing.

“We are now at the scene of the boat accident and have begun rescue work.”

Kure said authorities were still “collecting necessary information on the incident” and could not immediately give a death toll.

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.