A boat capsized in Nigeria, killing over one hundred passengers.
Following the tragedy on the River Niger early yesterday, according to police, the hunt for survivors has become more active.
Okasanmi Ajayi, spokesman for the Kwara state police, reported that incident took place near to the adjoining Niger state.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, it’s believed that the boat was momentarily overwhelmed by the river’s waves before colliding with a tree.
The victims, including women and children, were returning from an overnight wedding ceremony in the village of Egboti in Niger state, said local resident Usman Ibrahim.
It was not clear if there were any survivors.
Mr Ibrahim said: ‘People in the boat were to take their bikes to their various communities (upon disembarking). The boat was carrying more than 100 people when it sank.’
He said that many drowned because the accident happened at around 3am and not many knew of it until hours later.
He added: ‘Up until now, some dead bodies are still being searched (for).’
On Tuesday, officials and local people were still searching for bodies in the river, which is one of Nigeria’s largest.
Boat accidents are common in many remote communities across Nigeria where locally made vessels are commonly used for transport.
Most accidents are attributed to overloading and the use of poorly maintained boats.