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At Least 26 People Die in North Nigeria Boat Accident

Niger River - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 11.09.2023
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A boat, which was ferrying more than 100 farmers to their crop fields on the other side of the Niger River in Niger state's Mokwa district, overturned, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Salihu said in a statement.
At least 26 farmers died and dozens of others were missing after a boat capsized in north-central Nigeria on Sunday, according to emergency officials.

"So far, 24 corpses have been recovered while over 30 have been rescued, as the operation is ongoing," head of the SEMA, Garba Salihu said, adding: "Over 100 persons were said to be on board the boat when the incident occurred."

The statement did not indicate the cause of the accident.
In a separate statement, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State referred to the situation as "terrible and unfortunate."
"This is quite a shocking and sorrowful situation to the people of the affected communities, and I share in their sorrow. I pray that Allah will grant the deceased Aljannah Firdausi," he was quoted as saying.

In the statement, the governor confirmed that over 30 people have been saved, largely women and children, while 26 people have been confirmed deceased. A joint rescue effort by local divers and marine police, working with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, is still going on.

SEMA officials working with local divers were conducting search and rescue operations for the missing passengers, Salihu noted.
A fisherman takes a break on a concrete wall in the midst of the rain-swollen Niger river, late in the day in Niamey, Niger Friday, July 31, 2009.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 10.08.2023
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On Friday, about 10 people drowned and three remained missing when a boat carrying 23 passengers overturned in Njuwa Lake in northeastern Adamawa state of Nigeria, an emergency official told AFP.
The passengers, who were traders from Nigerian village Rugange, were heading to a market in the city of Yola, situated in the eastern part of the country, Mohammed Amin Suleiman, head of Adamawa emergency management agency, revealed.
Boat accidents are common on Nigerian poorly regulated waterways due to overcrowding and lack of maintenance, particularly in the annual rainy season when river and lakes swell and flood.
In June, a riverboat, carrying wedding guests returning to their village in Kwara State, was reportedly capsized on the Niger River in western Nigeria, killing at least 100 people. The wreck was caused by strong waves that pushed the boat into a tree, media said.
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