At least 60 people have died and dozens more have been rescued after a boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in Niger State in north-central Nigeria, local authorities said.
The boat heading to Dugga village on Lake Kainji, on tuesday left Tungan Sule village in Malale district.
The Niger State Disaster Management Authority said , the accident occurred after the boat hit a tree that was underwater near Gausawa community in Borgu district.
The agency said the cause of the accident was attributed to overloading and the boat colliding with an underwater tree.
The boat was carring people, including women and children, who were traveling to the town of Dugga to attend a funeral.
Sa’adu Inuwa Muhammad, the district head of Shagumi, who was at the scene shortly after the accident occurred, said the boat was carrying more than 100 people.
Boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria due to many people overcrowding and overloading boats.
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