More than 100 people, mostly women and children, are missing after a wooden boat capsized in Mokwa, Niger State, Nigeria. The locally-made vessel was carrying about 300 passengers returning from an Islamic religious festival when it overturned in the Niger River on Tuesday night. Rescue workers and volunteers have managed to rescue 150 people, but the search for more survivors is ongoing.
Authorities have recovered nine bodies from the accident, with local reports suggesting that around 60 bodies have been found. This tragic incident marks the second major boat disaster in Niger State in the past 18 months, highlighting concerns about regulatory failures and safety standards regarding boat transportation in Nigeria.
Ismaila Umar, who leads a boat skippers association in Mokwa, expressed pessimism about finding more survivors. The boat was only designed to carry 100 passengers, but it was severely overloaded with nearly 300 people, leading to its capsizing. The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency.
This latest tragedy underscores the urgent need for better enforcement of safety regulations in Nigeria to prevent future incidents of this nature. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims as the search for missing passengers continues.
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