More than 40 missing after the boat has passed in Nigeria Sokoto Shipping news

Officials say about 10 people were rescued after an accident in the northwestern region of the African country.

Rescuers are looking for more than 40 people missing after a boat that turned in the state of Sokoto, northwest of Nigeria, according to the authorities.

The National Agency for the National Emergency Management of Nigeria (Nigeria) said on Sunday that its operations office in Sokoto had published a response team to support the rescue efforts after the “tragic boat accident.”

The general manager of the NEMA, Zubia Omar, said that the agency had responded after “receiving reports that a boat is transporting more than 50 passengers to the Guronio market has turned.”

Nima said in a joint statement on social media that about 10 people were rescued, and more than 40 other passengers were missing.

The Punch Newspaper in Nigeria, citing a local official, said that the accident may be caused by excessive pregnancy, which is a repeated issue of boats in river societies in the state.

Boat accidents are common in Nigeria, especially during the annual rainy season, from March to October, when rivers and lakes excel.

At least 16 farmers died in a similar incident in the state of Sokoto in August 2024, when a wooden boat carrying them via a river turned into their rice fields.

Last month, at least 13 people died and dozens of other dozens were lost after a boat moved about 100 passengers in the state of Niger, in the north of Nigeria.

Two days later, six girls sank after they took a boat home from the farm on the middle of the road in the northwestern state of Giga