Residents and officials in the central region of northern Nigeria reported on Tuesday that at least 50 people drowned and several others are missing after a boat packed with passengers capsized.
The incident occurred last night when a wooden boat, transporting people across a river to reach Kwara State after a wedding in the neighboring Niger State, turned over.
It is still unclear how many people were on board, but the Kwara State government stated in a press release that they were from five villages and that rescue efforts are ongoing. There are fears that the death toll could reach dozens, with many still unaccounted for.
Fearing kidnappings by armed gangs on the roads, some Nigerians use boats to travel to nearby locations; however, overcrowding and the poor condition of these boats are responsible for most incidents of this nature.
