Latest tragedy to hit busy waterways leaves more than 100 missing, with possible causes ranging from turbulence to age of vessel.At least 27 people died when a boat capsized on the Niger River in central Nigeria, say authorities.
The boat was carrying about 200 passengers from the state of Kogi to a food market in the neighbouring state of Niger when it capsized late on Thursday, with more than half reportedly missing, according to Ibrahim Audu, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
By Friday evening, rescuers had managed to pull 27 bodies from the river while local divers were still searching for the missing passengers, according to Sandra Musa, spokeswoman for the Kogi State emergency services.
“It’s not clear what caused the accident,” Musa said. Among possible causes, she listed turbulence on the waterway and the age of the boat, attributing the death toll to the absence of life jackets. None of the bodies recovered had life jackets on, she said.
Rescuers had trouble finding the location of the accident for hours, according to Justin Uwazuruonye, who is in charge of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency operations in the state.
Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo said in a statement that most of the victims were women, traders and artisans “involved in legitimate business activities to earn a living and contribute to the economy of the state”.
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