Rescue teams recover 26 bodies and search for 14 missing after an overloaded passenger boat capsizes on a river between Jigawa and Yobe states.
GARIN ALKALI, Nigeria — A wooden passenger boat capsized in northeast Nigeria, killing at least 26 people and leaving another 14 missing, local emergency officials reported Sunday.
The vessel, overcrowded with farmers and fishermen, overturned late Saturday while traveling from Nigeria’s Jigawa State to neighboring Yobe State.
Mohammed Goje, executive director of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, said 13 people were rescued from the water. Search and rescue operations are ongoing along the river for the missing passengers.
“So far, emergency volunteers and rescue teams have recovered 26 bodies,” Goje told AFP.
Boat tragedies are recurrent in Nigeria, where river transport is vital but often perilous. Overloading, poor maintenance of vessels, and disregard for safety regulations frequently contribute to such accidents. Dozens perish annually on the country’s vast, busy waterways.
Authorities have not yet determined the exact cause of this latest capsizing, which adds to a long history of maritime disasters in the region.
