Ten people die after a boat sinks in a river in northwestern Nigeria

Jan. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least ten people died on Wednesday due to the sinking of a boat in the Niger River as it passed through the Nigerian town of Samanaji, located in the northwest of the country, as confirmed by the authorities.

The president of the local government, Yahaya Bello, has detailed that 80 people have been rescued after the shipwreck and has stated that “almost all the passengers were young, boys and girls.”

The event would have been caused by an overload of the boat, according to Bello, who has detailed that a meeting had previously been held to alert local communities about the use of old or overloaded boats.

Bello has also pointed out that the authorities had distributed 20 new boats in 2022 to try to reduce risks in crossing the rivers in the area, according to the Nigerian news agency NAN.

Events of this type are relatively frequent in Nigeria. In October 2022, nearly 80 people died after a boat capsized in the state of Anambra, in the southeast of the African country.