Boat capsizes in northwestern Nigeria, leaving dozens of people dead

SOKOTO, Nigeria: A boat capsized Thursday in a river in Nigeria 's northwestern Sokoto state, leaving at least 47 individuals dead, office-holders and residents noted.

Key points

• Abdulkadir Yusuf, Sokoto state manager at the National Inland Waterways Authority, remarked the death toll was 47 residents "so far."
• Resident Samaila Garba, 55, remarked his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among those who died in the capsizing.
• Usman Yusuf, a community leader in Gorau, remarked more than 80 passengers had boarded the boat.
• Another resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, remarked he goes to his farm using the same waterway and he considers himself lucky to not have been on the boat.
• Deadly boat accidents are common in Nigeria, especially during the rainy season.

For context, the boat was carrying more than 80 individuals, most of whom were heading to farms for work in Gorau town in the Goronyo local administration area of the state, authorities remarked.

Resident Samaila Garba, 55, remarked his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among those who died in the capsizing. He remarked he had counted at least 42 bodies of victims, most of them women and children. "You know, during the rainy season, most women and children go to the farm to work, " he informed The Associated Press.

Another resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, remarked he goes to his farm using the same waterway and he considers himself lucky to not have been on the boat. "In fact, almost every household in the community has been affected, " he remarked.

Usman Yusuf, a community leader in Gorau, remarked more than 80 passengers had boarded the boat. He remarked 41 residents have been buried so far.

Deadly boat accidents are common in Nigeria, especially during the rainy season. A lack of enforcement of safety regulations allows faulty boats without life jackets to operate in the country. In January, at least 25 individuals were killed in Yobe state in a similar accident.

In short, boat capsizes in northwestern Nigeria, leaving dozens of people dead is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.