Hundreds of people, including wedding guests, are feared dead in north-central Nigeria after a boat they were traveling in capsized in the river Niger early Monday, a local chief told CNN
Abdul Gana Lukpada, a traditional chief in Kpada, in Patigi district of north-central Kwara State which is located along the banks of the river Niger, told CNN some stranded wedding guests had resorted to cross the river from neighboring Egboti village in Niger State to Kpada with a boat, following heavy rains that flooded the roads. The boat, said to be carrying up to 300 people, overturned after hitting a tree trunk, Lukpada said of the accident which happened in the early hours of Monday.
“The boat was filled with up to 300 people — both males and females from various communities. It was early on Monday between 3:00 - 4:00 am. As they sailed, the boat hit a tree branch hiding in the water and it split into two. The volume of water was high, so it carried the passengers away. I’ve been informed that only 53 escaped. The rest are feared dead,” he added. The local chief described the accident as “a big tragedy” adding that “I lost four of my neighbors.
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Police say about 100 people returning from wedding killed when boat capsizes in northern NigeriaPolice say a boat carrying residents returning from a wedding has capsized in northern Nigeria killing about 100 people. A search for survivors intensified Tuesday. The boat capsized early Monday on the Niger River in the state of Kwara close to neighboring Niger state. The victims, including women and children, were returning from a wedding ceremony in the Egboti village in Niger state, according to a resident. It was not immediately clear if there were survivors. Officials and locals were still searching for more bodies in the river, which is one of Nigeria’s largest.
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