At least forty passengers are missing and presumed dead after a boat capsized on the Niger River in northwestern Nigeria on Monday, a local official said on Tuesday.
The boat carrying fifty people capsized due to strong currents and ten passengers were rescued, Yauri district chief Bala Mohammed said, estimating that the missing people probably died from drowning after a day of searching.
“The search is difficult due to high water levels and strong currents due to the rainy season,” he said.
Shipwrecks on busy rivers in Nigeria are common, especially during the rainy season. They are usually due to overloaded boats, poor maintenance or failure to follow safety regulations.
At least 24 bodies were found and 50 people were missing when a boat carrying more than 100 farmers capsized on the Niger River in early September, authorities said.
Two days earlier, 10 people drowned and three were missing when a boat sank on a lake in northeastern Nigeria.