By Ibrahim Muhammad
At least 43 people, mostly children, have died after an overloaded boat capsized near Gorau in the Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident occurred on Thursday, with rescue operations still ongoing, according to Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with the National Inland Waterways Authority.
Yusuf said about 40 bodies of children had been recovered from the scene.
However, a lawmaker representing the area in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Nasiru Adamu, said the death toll had risen to 43, while 16 people were rescued.
A resident said the boat was carrying farm owners and labourers engaged to harvest rice.
According to him, more than 70 people were on board when the boat capsized, although another resident put the number of passengers at 57.
The Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, Mustapha Umar, said officials were on their way to the scene and would provide further details.
Boat accidents are relatively common on Nigeria’s waterways, with overcrowding, poor maintenance and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations often contributing to such incidents.
