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Dozens missing after boat capsizes in Nigeria
🇵🇦 Panama /Disasters & Emergencies

Dozens missing after boat capsizes in Nigeria

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Dozens of people are missing and presumed dead after a boat capsized in Nigeria's Jigawa state, according to police and rescue services.
  • The accident occurred when a boat carrying passengers, including women and children, overturned while crossing a river.
  • Boat accidents are common in Nigeria due to overloading, speeding, poor maintenance, or disregard for navigation rules, often resulting in significant casualties.

Dozens of people are missing and presumed dead following the capsizing of a boat in the northwestern Nigerian state of Jigawa, authorities reported on Monday.

The accident occurred the previous day when a boat carrying passengers, including women and children, overturned while crossing a river. Police spokesperson Shi’isu Adam stated that up to 40 people may have drowned. Rescue operations recovered one body on Sunday and five more on Monday morning.

Up to 40 people drowned when their boat was crossing the river, including women and children.

— Shi’isu AdamPolice spokesperson Shi’isu Adam reporting the estimated number of casualties in the boat accident.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) provided a lower figure, reporting five deaths, 20 missing individuals, and 15 passengers rescued. NEMA spokesperson Nura Abdullahi confirmed that search and rescue operations are ongoing in Jigawa.

Boat accidents are a frequent and tragic occurrence in Nigeria, often claiming numerous lives each year. These incidents are typically attributed to factors such as overloading, excessive speed, inadequate maintenance, or non-compliance with navigation regulations. Climate change has also been cited as a factor exacerbating monsoon variations in regions like Jigawa, which is particularly vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season from May to November.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

— Nura AbdullahiNEMA spokesperson Nura Abdullahi providing an update on the ongoing rescue efforts.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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