Nigerian rescuers search for dozens missing

Rescue workers in northern Nigeria are searching for more than 40 missing passengers after a boat accident in Sokoto state, the authorities have said.

The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said the boat was carrying more than 50 people to a local market when it capsized in the River Goronyo on Sunday.

A Sokoto official told the BBC that four people have been found alive. Nema said it was “intensifying efforts alongside local authorities to locate [those] still missing”.

Boat accidents occur regularly in Nigeria due to overcrowding, poorly maintained boats and the failure to enforce safety regulations.

In December 2024, 54 bodies were recovered from the River Niger after a boat that may have been carrying more than 200 passengers capsized.

It was the third incident of a passenger boat going down in a 60-day period.

A month earlier in November 2024, a wooden dugout canoe, packed with nearly 300 passengers, overturned and sank in the middle of the Niger killing nearly 200 people.

In another accident that gained a lot of attention, more than 100 people drowned two years ago in the south-western part of the country.

The vessel they were in was carrying around 300 passengers travelling from Kwara state to Niger state after a wedding celebration.

According to the regulations all passengers are supposed to wear life jackets, but they are not always available, especially in rural areas.