Boat was carrying more than 70 people when it capsized
At least 52 people died when a boat carrying farmers and workers to rice farms capsized in northwestern Nigeria’s Sokoto State, officials said Friday.
LAGOS
The boat capsized Thursday while crossing a waterway near Gorau town in the Goronyo Local Government Area, according to reports.
The head of operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Sokoto State, Tukur Abubakar, confirmed that the death toll had risen to 52 as of Friday morning.
“The death toll has now risen to 52,” Abubakar told Anadolu. “We are about to meet with officials of the local government to know the families of the victims,” he said.
Anadolu earlier said the boat was carrying farmers and laborers heading to rice farms when it overturned. Abdulkadir Yusuf, the Sokoto manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), had earlier confirmed the accident and said dozens of bodies, including those of children, had been recovered.
Also, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Abdullahi Ghani, said authorities were still at the scene assessing the situation and working to determine the exact number of affected people.
Local residents said the boat was carrying more than 70 people when it capsized.
The latest incident adds to a series of deadly boat accidents recorded on Nigeria’s waterways, where overcrowding, inadequate safety measures and weak enforcement of regulations have frequently been identified as contributing factors.
1SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER NOW
Support MATAZ ARISING’ journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
We ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
TEXT AD: To advertise here – Email ad@matazarising.com
LATEST POSTS
-
Nigerian-American Victoria Oluwakotanmi crowned Miss Grand USA 2026
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas Nigerian-American beauty queen, Victoria Oluwakotanmi, has been named Miss Grand USA 2026, replacing Mekayla Li, whose title was withdrawn just over a week after she was crowned. The Miss Grand USA organisation announced Oluwakotanmi’s appointment in an official statement shared on social media on Friday, following the termination of Li’s reign. “With…
-
Tinubu Govt Withdraws Death Penalty Appeal Against IPOB Leader Kanu
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withdrawn its cross-appeal seeking the death penalty against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu’s Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, disclosed the development, saying the government had formally communicated its decision not to continue with the aspect of the…
-
2027: Defend your credentials or drop out – Peter Obi challenges presidential candidates
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that every presidential candidate in the 2027 general elections must be willing to defend their credentials, records and subject their vision to open scrutiny. Obi said this on Friday at a world press conference in his home in Onitsha, Anambra State. While highlighting the…
