ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A boat accident on a river in north-central Nigeria killed at least 31 people, authorities said Wednesday.
The overloaded boat hit a tree trunk in the Borgu area of Niger state while it carried 90 people, according to Hussaini Isah, an official with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency.
Isah said 50 people have been rescued so far, but the number of those missing remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue.
Boat accidents are common in Nigeria’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.
In August, 25 people were declared missing after a boat capsized on a river in the northwestern state of Sokoto.
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