Police and local authorities in Nigeria have announced that more than 100 people have died in north-central Nigeria after a boat carrying families returning from a wedding sank in a river.
The local police and the state governor’s office said the accident occurred when the riverboat was carrying passengers into Kwara State from the western state of Niger.
Okasanmi Ajayi, the spokesman for the Kwara State police, said that the death toll had risen to 103, with over 100 people rescued, stressing that this figure could rise further as the search was still underway.
According to the Kwara State Governor’s office, the victims were returning to Patigi district in Kwara State after celebrating a wedding in Niger State. The accident occurred on the way from Egboti, in Niger State, to Kpada, in Kwara State.
The governor expressed his “sadness” after the tragedy, which involved “in particular residents of Ebu, Dzakan, Kpada, Kuchalu and Sampi”, localities in Patigi State.
Last month, 15 children drowned and 25 others disappeared after an overloaded boat capsized in the north-western state of Sokoto as they set off to harvest timber.
The national waterways regulation authority has attempted to ban night-time navigation to reduce accidents, claiming that overloading a boat is a criminal offense. But sailors often disregard these rules.