A boat carrying more than 100 passengers sank in Nigeria’s Niger State, resulting in at least a dozen people dead and more than twice that number rescued. There are still two people unaccounted for according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Reuters however quotes a local government official saying that the death toll could be as high as 60.
The accident occurred at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday when the boat, which had left Tungan Sule in Malale district and was heading towards Dugga, hit a submerged tree stump near Gausawa community and capsized. SEMA attributed the cause to overloading and collision with the tree stump.
Boat accidents are frequent occurrences in Nigeria’s busy river networks and are usually caused by overloading, poor maintenance of vessels, and a failure to adhere to safety norms.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/dozens-killed-as-boat-capsizes-in-nigeria/a-73873194?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
