Local officials reported on Wednesday that at least 60 people were killed and dozens rescued when a boat with over 100 passengers capsized near the north-central Niger State in Nigeria.

The vessel was heading from Tungan Sule, Malale District, to Dugga, for a condolences visit, when, on its way, it hit a submerged stump of a tree near the Gausawa Community in Borgu Local Government Area.

Abdullahi Baba Ara said that the number of casualties was increasing.

Baba Ara said that the death toll from the boat accident has reached 60. "Ten people were found in serious conditions and many more are still being searched."

Around 11 am (1000 GMT), the incident took place.

Sa'adu Inuwa Muhammad told reporters that he had been at the scene of the accident shortly after it occurred.

I was there yesterday from 12 to 4 pm. Muhammad stated that the boat was carrying more than 100 passengers. "We recovered 31 corpses in the river." The boat was recovered and removed."

He said that the majority of those who died were women and children.

Niger State Emergency Management Agency reported that local divers and emergency personnel were searching for victims. The agency has confirmed 29 deaths, 50 rescues and two missing people. The agency stated that the boat capsized because it was overloaded, collided with an obstruction and hit a tree stump.

In Nigeria, boat accidents are common, particularly during the rainy seasons, because of lax safety enforcement and poorly maintained vessels. Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi, Maiduguri; writing by Chijioke Ahuocha; editing by Leslie Adler & Lisa Shumaker

(source: Reuters)