40 People Feared Dead After Overloaded Canoe Capsizes in Sokoto State, Nigeria

• A wooden canoe carrying over 70 farmers and children capsized in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State
• Many of the passengers were children aged 10 to 15 who were travelling to help with the rice harvest across the waterway
• Local divers and emergency responders launched a rescue operation, pulling six survivors to safety including the community's village head

Around 40 people are feared dead after an overloaded wooden canoe capsized in Gorau town, within the Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, in northern Nigeria.

The vessel was ferrying more than 70 passengers, including farm owners and hired labourers, across a waterway to reach rice fields on the opposite bank when it went under.

Children among those on board

A significant number of the passengers were children between the ages of 10 and 15, who had joined the journey to assist with the rice harvest.

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According to a report by Legit.ng, the canoe sank almost immediately after leaving the shore, giving those on board little opportunity to react or seek safety.

The sheer number of people crammed into the vessel is believed to have contributed directly to the disaster.

Rescue operation under way in Gorau

Emergency responders and local divers launched a rescue operation shortly after the canoe overturned.

Six people, among them the community's village head, were pulled from the water alive.

Journalist Sharhabilu Yahuza Kiliya, who arrived at the scene during the emergency response, described the situation on the ground.

"So far, we have recovered about 40 bodies, while six people, including the village head, were rescued," he said.

He also noted that the boat went down rapidly from the moment of departure.

"The canoe capsized shortly after take-off. Rescue operations are still ongoing, with local divers searching for those still missing and recovering bodies," Kiliya added.

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The final death toll has not been confirmed, as divers continue combing the waterway for victims.

Over 20 Nigerians killed in midnight attack

In a related sad development, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that armed attackers had raided the Binper community in Mangu Local Government Area around midnight on Monday into Tuesday, August 18.

Local resident Daniel Musa described how gunmen had moved from house to house, forcing their way into homes and targeting sleeping residents.

The assault had followed a separate violent incident in the same district less than a week earlier that had left three people dead.

Source: YEN.com.gh