Overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria, around 40 children's bodies recovered

Tragedy struck in Nigeria's northwest Sokoto State when an overloaded boat capsized, leading to the recovery of around 40 bodies of children. The incident occurred on Thursday morning as passengers were en route to engage in rice planting or harvesting activities. Local divers worked to recover the bodies, and search efforts were ongoing.

Sarkin Daji, a traditional leader in the affected area, confirmed the purpose of the journey for the passengers. Nasiru Gorau, a local resident, stated that local divers were responsible for the recovery of the bodies and that the search operations were continuing.

Boat accidents are a recurring and often deadly issue in Nigeria. Vessels frequently operate under unsafe conditions, contributing to a high number of fatalities. This incident follows a similar tragedy in January, where at least 25 people died when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe State, located in the northeastern part of the country.

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I can confirm that so far around 40 corpses of children have been recovered.