More Than 100 Dead In Kwara Boat Accident
More than 100 persons lost their lives and more are missing after a boat carrying them down the River Niger in south-western Nigeria capsized, authorities announced.
The vessel was carrying more than 300 passengers traveling from Kwara state to Niger state after a wedding ceremony.
Search and rescue efforts are ongoing to find more victims, officials said.
The boat capsized after it crashed into a tree, a traditional local ruler said.
“Dozens of people were feared killed and many others [are] still missing“, a statement from the Kwara state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said on Tuesday.
The Emir of Patigi, Ibrahim Umar Bologi II – the traditional ruler of the area where it happened – disclosed that more than 150 people had died.
He told journalists that river waves overtook the boat and forced it to crash into a tree that had washed into the river, causing the boat to capsize.
A Kwara state police spokesman made it known in an interview that the death toll was likely to increase as search and rescue efforts continued.
Kwara state governor Mr. AbdulRazaq gave his “heartfelt condolences” to the victim’s loved ones – and said rescuers were continuing to search for survivors.
