Over 100 killed as overloaded boat carrying wedding guests capsizes in Nigeria

A boat returning from a wedding capsized in northern Nigeria, killing at over 100 people, including children, officials said on Tuesday.

According to police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi, residents and police were still searching for dozens of people who were on an overcrowded boat that capsized early Monday on the River Niger in Pategi district of Kwara state, which is 160 kilometers from the capital Ilorin.  

He said 100 people have been rescued so far. Most of those who drowned were relatives from several villages who had attended a wedding together and partied late into the night, according to local chief Abdul Gana Lukpada. They came to the ceremony on motorbikes but had to leave on a local boat after the road was flooded by downpour, he said.

“The ship was overloaded with almost 300 people on board. While they were coming, the boat hit a big log in the water and split into two,” Lukpada said.

The wedding took place in Egboti village in neighboring Niger state, resident Usman Ibrahim said. Because the accident happened at 3 a.m., it took several hours for many people to find out what happened, he said.

When the passengers drowned, nearby villagers rushed to the spot and managed to rescue about 50 at first, Lukpada said, describing initial efforts to rescue the passengers as slow and "very difficult".

The office of Kwara Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq issued a statement expressing grief for the families of those killed and saying it was "continuing to monitor the rescue operations that have already started since Monday evening in search of possible survivors".