A boat carrying more than 70 people — many of them children — capsized on a river in Sokoto state, north-western Nigeria, killing at least 47 people. A search operation is ongoing, with 15 people still unaccounted for and 16 rescued alive. The accident occurred near the remote settlement of Gorau in the Gorony district, a location that has complicated the emergency response. "Gorau is a very remote place," a spokesperson for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said, adding that teams had been dispatched to the site.

Witnesses described a devastating scene. One resident said the boat was transporting farm workers and their children to rice harvests — a common journey during Nigeria's rainy season, which runs from April to October. Another resident told reporters that his 13-year-old granddaughter was among those who died, and that the victims were predominantly women and children. "Almost every household in the community has been affected," one local said. Dozens of bodies, many wrapped in mats and traditional cloths, were laid out in front of a community mosque ahead of burial. Overcrowding is believed to have been a contributing factor in the disaster.

Boat accidents are tragically common in Nigeria. In December 2024, 54 bodies were recovered from the River Niger after a vessel believed to be carrying more than 200 passengers capsized. At least 26 people drowned in January when a boat carrying farmers and fishermen between Jigawa and Yobe states overturned, and five more died in a separate Jigawa incident last month. High water levels and strong currents during the rainy season, combined with poorly maintained vessels, a lack of life jackets, and chronic overcrowding, regularly contribute to such tragedies.

For millions of Nigerians, particularly in rural areas, rivers are not a leisure option but a lifeline. Poor road infrastructure and a scarcity of bridges in many regions make waterways the primary means of reaching markets, farms, and neighbouring communities, often on ageing wooden boats. Authorities have repeatedly recommended remedies — including providing life jackets, training and licensing boat operators, deploying water guards at jetties, and dredging waterways — but enforcement remains weak and implementation uneven across the country.