Over 40 feared dead after river boat capsizes in northwestern Nigeria

Officials in Nigeria have reported that at least 40 people are feared to have died after a boat capsized in a river in the northwestern state of Zamfara on Saturday, September 14.

The unnamed vessel was transporting farmers and other passengers when it capsized in the Bakin Kasuwa River near the town of Gummi on the morning (local time) of Saturday.

Local authorities conducted search and rescue (SAR) operations within hours of the incident. The effort led to the recovery of nine deceased victims and five survivors from the surrounding waters.

The SAR effort was still ongoing as of Tuesday, September 17, but had not yet yielded any significant developments. The operation is also being hampered by flooding caused by recent heavy rains in the region.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu meanwhile promised to extend assistance to the victims of the tragedy and directed local emergency response agencies to comprehensively assess the incident to identify and address its root causes.