Return of horrible wedding tragedy: more than 100 drowned

A tragedy struck the country after a wedding in Nigeria.

At least 103 people, including children, lost their lives when a boat carrying guests returning from a wedding late at night in the north of the country capsized.

Police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi’ said the boat, which sank in the Niger River in the Pategi region of Kwara state, was carrying almost 300 people and was overcrowded. Authorities said around 100 people were rescued and dozens of others are still being searched for.

STRIKE THE TRUNK IN THE WATER

Most of the drowned were relatives from various villages who attended the nightly wedding. Abdul Ghana Lukpada, one of the boat’s local managers, said that after the road was flooded due to flooding, they came to the wedding on motorbikes and had to leave on a locally made boat. “The boat was overloaded and it hit a big log in the water and broke in two,” Lukpada said.

While many people drowned and lost their lives, the nearby villagers, who found out about the accident late, rushed to the scene and managed to save many people, albeit with difficulty.

Local people called the incident the deadliest boat accident they have seen in years, saying search efforts on the river will continue until tonight.

Boat accidents occur frequently in Nigeria, where locally made boats are widely used for transportation. Most recently, 15 people died as a result of a passenger ship sinking in the country’s Sokoto state last month.