More than 100 people have drowned after a boat carrying families returning from a wedding sank in a river in northern Nigeria.
The boat capsized on the Niger River in the Pategi district of Kwara state close to neighboring Niger, the states police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi said.
“So far we have 103 people dead and over 100 rescued from the boat accident,” Ajayi said. “Search and rescue is still ongoing which means the toll is likely to rise.” The victims, including women and children, were returning from a wedding in the village of Egboti in Niger state.
It was not immediately clear whether there were survivors.
There have been similar mishaps in the past in the area, which is close to the confluence between the rivers Niger and Benue, two of Africas longest.
Last month, 15 children drowned and 25 others went missing after their overloaded boat capsized in northwest Sokoto State as they were on their way to collect firewood.
Source: Qatar News Agency