At least 100 people missing after boat capsizes in northern Nigeria

ABUJA, NIGERIA — 

At slightest 100 people, astir of them women, were missing aft a vessel transporting them to a nutrient marketplace capsized on the River Niger successful bluish Nigeria, authorities said Friday.

The vessel was taking the passengers from Kogi authorities on the stream to neighboring Niger aboriginal Friday erstwhile it capsized, Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Ibrahim Audu told The Associated Press.

At slightest 8 radical were confirmed dormant astatine the country portion section divers were trying to rescue others, the section Channels Television reported, citing witnesser accounts.

Authorities person not confirmed what caused the sinking. However, section media reported that the vessel was carrying much than 200 passengers, suggesting it mightiness person been overloaded. Overcrowding successful vehicles is communal successful distant parts of Nigeria wherever the deficiency of bully roads leaves galore with nary alternate routes.

Officials successful Kogi are yet to find the nonstop determination of the incidental and were seeking assistance from different agencies, according to Justin Uwazuruonye, who oversees Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency operations successful the state.

Such deadly incidents are progressively becoming a root of interest successful Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous country, arsenic authorities conflict to enforce information measures and regulations for h2o transportation.

Most of the accidents person been attributed to overcrowding and the deficiency of attraction of the boats, often built locally to accommodate arsenic galore passengers arsenic imaginable successful defiance of information measures.

Authorities person not been capable to enforce the usage of beingness jackets connected specified trips, often due to the fact that of deficiency of availability oregon cost.