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Boat Capsizes in Northwestern Nigeria, Leaving Dozens of People Dead
On Thursday, an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria's northwestern Sokoto State, leaving 47 people dead according to the National Inland Waterways Authority.
The vessel was transporting passengers to farms for work in Gorau town when traditional leader Sarkin Daji said travelers were heading to plant or harvest rice on the Sokoto River.
Local resident Nasiru Gorau counted 42 bodies, mostly women and children, while Samaila Garba, 55, confirmed his 13-year-old granddaughter Jamila Usman was among the deceased.
Abdulkadir Yusuf, area manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority, confirmed, "I can confirm that so far around 40 corpses of children have been recovered."
Deadly boat accidents are common in Nigeria, where vessels often operate unsafely; in January, at least 25 people died when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe State.
A boat capsized and sank on a river in northwestern Nigeria, local officials report. At least 47 people were killed in the incident, with many of the victims reportedly being children.
The accident occurred in the Nigerian state of Sokoto. According to officials, there were more than eighty people on board, and they were on their way to farms in the city of Gorau to work. A resident who spoke to the AP news agency said that he normally travels …
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