About 50 people, many of them children, are feared dead after a canoe carrying dozens of passengers capsized near Gorau village in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The incident occurred on Thursday as residents were reportedly travelling to their rice farms.
Local reports initially indicated that more than 70 people were aboard the canoe, with several witnesses saying many of the passengers were children between the ages of 10 and 15.
The death toll has continued to rise as rescue teams and local divers recover bodies from the water. Reports put the number of recovered bodies at about 50, although authorities were yet to establish the final casualty figure.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed the accident and said rescue efforts were ongoing.
One of the rescuers, Isah Ibrahim, said the canoe was carrying more than 70 children aged between 10 and 15 who were travelling to their rice farms when it capsized.
The exact cause of the accident has not yet been established.
The Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Sokoto State, Alhaji Tukur Abubakar, described the incident as unfortunate and said authorities were working to establish the actual number of casualties.
“It is true that the boat unfortunately capsized and there are reported fatalities. However, we cannot ascertain the actual number or casualties at the moment as men are on their way for rescue,” Abubakar said.
He said he was at the scene with officials of the Sokoto State Government, NIWA and other emergency responders.
“We will give detailed update shortly,” he assured.
Residents said the passengers included farmers and labourers travelling to rice farms, with the canoe reportedly heavily loaded at the time of the accident.
The tragedy has plunged the rural community into mourning as local divers, residents and emergency responders continue efforts to recover bodies and search for passengers still missing.
The incident has also renewed concerns about safety on Nigeria’s inland waterways, particularly the use of overloaded wooden boats and the absence or inadequate use of life jackets.
Rescue operations were still ongoing as authorities worked to determine the number of survivors, missing passengers and recovered bodies.
The final casualty figure is expected to become clearer as search-and-rescue operations continue.
