Officials in Nigeria have reported that four people killed while at least 13 others have gone missing after a river boat ferrying passengers capsized in the northern state of Sokoto on the evening (local time) of Sunday, August 11.
The wooden boat had over 30 people on board when the incident occurred on the Dundaye River within the Wamakko Local Government Area on Sunday. One person was found dead within hours of the capsizing while another three deceased individuals have been recovered as of Tuesday, August 13.
In addition to the four deceased victims, 19 survivors have been pulled out of the surrounding waters. Search operations are still ongoing in an attempt to locate the missing passengers, many of whom were women and small children.
A local disaster response official has attributed the tragedy to overloading, as the boat was intended to carry no more than 15 passengers on each trip.
Fatal maritime accidents in Nigeria, particularly in the country's more remote communities, have been attributed to regulatory lapses. Mishaps that resulted in death in these areas in recent years have reportedly been caused by factors such as overloading, lack of vessel maintenance, and failure to clear waterways of obstructions.