Dozens of people remained missing Thursday after a boat carrying wedding guests capsized in northern Nigeria, killing more than 100 people, including children, officials said.
The wooden boat, carrying about 300 people, flipped Monday morning on the Niger River in the Pategi district of Kwara state, about 100 miles from Ilorin, the state capital, police spokesman Okasanmi Ajay said.
As of Thursday, at least 144 people had been rescued and recovery efforts continued, Kwara State Police said, according to the BBC. So far, officials told the outlet, 106 passengers have been confirmed dead.
Earlier, the outlet reported, local authorities said more than 150 people were feared to have drowned.
The victims were returning from a wedding ceremony in the Egboti village in Niger state, the Associated Press reported. Local authorities said the accident occurred “after the boat hit a log and split,” according to the outlet.
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Governor continues to monitor rescue efforts
On Wednesday, Kwara Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s office issued a statement expressing condolences for families of those killed. Earlier this week, the said he continued “to monitor the rescue efforts already mounted since Monday night in search of possible survivors.”
“We commiserate with our people in Patigi Emirate, including the Etsu Patigi Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi II,” the governor tweeted Wednesday. “We are deeply saddened by the event.”
Abdulrazaq also said the government plans to set up a group that oversees water transportation in the state.
“We will design and roll out statewide standard operating procedures for water travels to cover issues of boat serviceability, speed limits, loading limits and wearing of life jackets by all passengers,” the governor tweeted. “This will be the new irreducible minimum.”
Contributing: Associated Press
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
