At least 40 bodies, most of them believed to be children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat capsized in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria, local officials and residents said.
The accident occurred near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area, with rescue teams continuing their search for survivors and victims, according to Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with the National Inland Waterways Authority.
Yusuf said around 40 bodies of children had been recovered. However, Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker representing the area in the Sokoto State legislature, put the death toll at 43, with 16 people reportedly rescued.
Local residents gave differing accounts of the number of people aboard the boat. One resident said it was carrying farm owners and labourers hired to harvest rice, with more than 70 people on board when it overturned.
Another resident estimated that 57 people had been travelling on the boat.
Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the state emergency management agency, said officials were travelling to the scene and would provide further details once more information became available.
Boat accidents are a recurring problem in Nigeria, where overcrowding, poor maintenance and inadequate enforcement of safety regulations have frequently contributed to deadly incidents on rivers and waterways.
Earlier this year, at least 25 people were killed after a leaking boat capsized in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria.
