At least 40 people, most of them children, have died after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state, local officials and residents said on Thursday.
The accident occurred near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area, where rescue teams continued searching for victims and possible survivors.
Abdulkadir Yusuf, an official with the National Inland Waterways Authority, said around 40 bodies of children had so far been recovered.
However, local lawmaker Nasiru Adamu put the death toll at 43 and said 16 people had been rescued.
There were conflicting accounts of how many passengers were aboard the vessel. One resident said it was carrying more than 70 people, while another estimated the number at 57.
According to residents, the passengers included farm owners and agricultural labourers travelling to harvest rice when the boat overturned.
Officials from Sokoto state’s emergency management agency were travelling to the scene to assist with the response and assess the situation.
Authorities said further information would be released as rescue and recovery operations continue.