More Than 150 Feared Drowned after Boat Capsizes in Nigeria

World

May 27th, 5:21am

Asharq Al-Awsat

A farm close to the River Benue in Makurdi, Nigeria Nov. 29, 2018. Reuters

More than 150 people were feared drowned in northwest Nigeria on Wednesday after an overloaded boat ferrying passengers to a market sank in the Niger River in the northwestern state of Kebbi, local officials said. The boat was travelling between central Niger state and Wara in Kebbi when it sank, National Inland Waterways Authority local manager Yusuf Birma told reporters. "The boat capacity was not up to the 180 passengers it carried," Birma said. "As we speak, only 20 people have been rescued alive, four dead confirmed while the remaining 156 people are still missing and they are believed to be underwater." President Muhammadu Buhari said the accident was "devastating" and offered his condolences to families. Boat tragedies are common on Nigerian waterways mostly due to overcrowding, bad weather and lack of maintenance, but Wednesday's toll would be one of the deadliest recent accidents. Early this month 30 people drowned when an overloaded boat capsized in Niger state. The boat ferrying 100 local traders split into two after hitting a stump during a storm as they were returning from a local market, according to emergency officials.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2994441/more-150-feared-drowned-after-boat-capsizes-nigeria