Nearly 40 people were killed after a boat carrying passengers struck some rocks and sank in the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday, January 8.
The incident, which local officials reported earlier this week, occurred just as the unnamed vessel was nearing the town of Diré in the northern region of Timbuktu.
Officials said that only 23 people who were on the boat were safely rescued while 38 are confirmed dead as of Tuesday, January 13.
A resident of Diré told The Associated Press that 21 members of his extended family were among those who perished in the tragedy.
The same resident, who had also assisted officials in the effort to locate and recover the missing victims, said that some of the bodies were already decomposing by the time they were pulled out of the river.
Reports said that it was already nighttime when the boat was nearing Diré. However, authorities have prohibited docking of boats in the area after nightfall as part of security measures implemented due to the alleged presence of al Qaeda-linked armed militants in the region.
An eyewitness said the boat's captain had decided against waiting until morning to dock and instead manoeuvred the vessel towards shore through a different direction, resulting in the crash and the subsequent sinking.