26 dead after boat capsizes in reservoir in North Central Nigeria

Authorities in Nigeria have confirmed that 26 people were killed while at least 44 others have gone missing after a passenger boat capsized in the country’s North Central state of Niger on Sunday, September 10.

The incident occurred shortly after 07:30 local time on Sunday as the unnamed vessel was crossing a reservoir in Niger’s Mokwa local government area with over 100 people on board.

Local police personnel and divers arrived in the area shortly afterwards to conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations. The SAR teams subsequently pulled 30 survivors and the bodies of 26 deceased individuals from the surrounding waters.

Officials said the rescue and recovery effort was still ongoing as of Monday, September 11.

The cause of the capsizing and the exact number of people who were on the boat remain unknown.