Nearly 200 people are missing after a boat capsized on the River Niger in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State, according to local officials and residents.
The vessel, carrying passengers including women, traders, and farmers, overturned along the Dambo-Ebuchi stretch of the river. Eyewitness Ibrahim Musa, a local trader, said most of the passengers were heading to Ebuchi, with many traveling to a nearby market.
The National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) confirmed that a search and rescue operation is underway. “We have deployed rescue workers to the scene,” NIWA spokesperson Suleiman Makama stated.
Efforts are ongoing to locate survivors, but the number of missing passengers has raised concerns about another tragedy on Nigeria’s waterways, which have long been plagued by safety issues.