Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences on behalf of the Nigerian government and people for the farmers’ deaths and nearby floods.
Authorities stated that over 40 people are feared dead after a boat, overloaded with passengers, sank on a river in northwestern Nigeria on Sunday.
A local official reported that a wooden boat carrying 53 farmers capsized while transporting them across the river to their farmlands near Gummi town on Saturday morning. Local authorities quickly mobilized residents for a rescue operation, and 12 survivors were pulled from the water.
"Only 12 people were rescued shortly after the accident," said Na’Allah Musa, a political administrator of the flood-hit Gummi district where the accident occurred. He added that authorities were searching for the bodies of the remaining passengers, who are presumed to have died.
Musa also mentioned that the vessel was overcrowded with passengers beyond its capacity, which caused it to overturn and sink.
In a statement on Sunday, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences on behalf of the government and the people of Nigeria for the "twin tragedies" of the farmers’ deaths and the nearby floods.
