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La Jornada Newspaper
Saturday, November 30, 2024, p. 19
Abuja. At least 100 passengers, most of them women, went missing after a boat taking them to a food market capsized in the Niger River in northern Nigeria, authorities said.
The ship was transporting them down that tributary from Kogi State to neighboring Niger yesterday morning when it capsized, Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu said.
At least eight individuals were confirmed dead at the scene, while divers attempted to rescue others, local broadcaster Channels Television reported, citing witness accounts.
Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the sinking; However, according to local media, the boat was carrying more than 200 travelers, suggesting that it could have been overloaded.
Crowds
Overcrowding in vehicles is common in remote parts of the African country, where the lack of good roads leaves many people without alternative routes.
Kogi authorities have not yet located the exact site of the accident and are seeking help from other agencies, according to Justin Uwazuruonye, head of operations at Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency. Most incidents have been attributed to overcrowding and lack of maintenance of the vessels, often built locally to accommodate the largest possible number of passengers, in defiance of safety measures.
