Nigeria's Leadership News reports that the bodies of three victims of a boat capsizing incident that occurred recently in the northwestern province of Sokoto have been recovered.
The report stated that the bodies were found by fishermen near three different villages. Officials said that the victims were buried shortly afterwards in accordance with Islamic rites.
The three deceased individuals are the first confirmed fatalities of the incident wherein a boat capsized in a river near the Sokoto village of Kojiyo on Sunday, August 17. Only twenty-five of that vessel's occupants have been safely rescued.
Zubaida Umar, Director General of Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency, had earlier assured that the search and rescue effort will continue until all 25 of the missing individuals are accounted for.
Sunday's incident occurred nearly a month after a vessel capsizing that left at least 25 people dead in Niger state south of Sokoto.
Nigeria has become known for its poor passenger vessel safety record, as shown by data collected by ferry safety advocate and Baird Maritime Co-Founder Dr Neil Baird over the last few years.