Rescue workers are urgently searching for over 40 missing passengers after a tragic boat accident in Nigeria’s Sokoto State. Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency has reported that the boat was carrying more than 50 passengers when it tragically capsized on Sunday morning.
The emergency agency added in a statement that about ten people have been rescued while over 40 passengers remain missing. Boat accidents are a frequent and tragic occurrence on Nigeria’s poorly regulated waterways due to issues like overcrowding and poor maintenance.
This is a recurring issue, especially during the annual rainy season when rivers and lakes throughout the country often begin to overflow. In a similar and tragic accident that occurred in August 2024, at least 16 farmers died in the same Sokoto state.
On July 29, a boat taking six girls home from farm work tragically capsized midstream in northwestern Jigawa State. Just two days earlier, at least 13 people died in a separate boat accident in Nigeria’s central Niger State.