ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 31 people were killed in a boat accident on a river in north-central Nigeria, authorities said Wednesday.
The overloaded boat hit a tree trunk in the Borgu area of Niger state while it carried 90 people, Hussaini Isah, an official with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, told The Associated Press.
Isah said 50 people have been rescued so far, but the number of those missing remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue.
Boat accident are common in the country’s remote areas during the rainy season in Africa’s most populous country. They are often caused by overloaded and poorly maintained vessels. Analysts say many of these boats operate without life jackets.
Last month, 25 people were declared missing after a boat capsized on a river in northwestern state of Sokoto.
