At least 40 missing after boat capsizes in northwestern Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – At least 40 people are missing after a boat capsized Sunday on a river in northwestern Nigeria, authorities said.

The accident happened around the Goronyo area in Sokoto state while the boat was transporting passengers to a market, Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement late Sunday.

The emergency agency said only 10 people have been rescued as teams continue search and rescue efforts in the area.

The accident is the latest in a series of deadly boat mishaps on Nigerian waterways. Such accidents are common in remote communities during the rainy season, often caused by overloaded and poorly maintained vessels.

Last month, a boat transporting passengers to a market in north-central Nigeria capsized, killing at least 25 people.

At least 326 people died in boat accidents in Nigeria in 2024, according to a count by TheCable, a local media outlet.

Analysts say many boats operate without life jackets, blaming weak enforcement by regulatory authorities.