Nigeria: Death toll rises to 76, scores missing in boat capsize tragedy

The death toll from a boat accident, which occurred when the vessel carrying passengers capsized in Nigeria’s southeastern state of Anambra last Friday has risen to 76, with dozens reported missing.

Officials said the locally made boat was carrying 85 people who were on their way to a local market when it developed an engine power problem. The vessel capsized amid heavy flooding in the Ogbaru area of Anambra, according to officials, who originally said at least 10 people had died and 60 were missing. Most of the passengers on the boat were market women on their way to work.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday (9 October), Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said that emergency authorities were working to rescue or recover any missing passengers, adding that he had directed the relevant agencies to check safety protocols to prevent future accidents.

According to press reports, the vessel that capsized after its engine failed and that was overpowered by waves, was locally made and had the capacity to carry more than 100 people.

Anambra is among 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states to have experienced heavy flooding that has lasted for months this year. The waters have been sweeping away homes and farmland, damaging crucial infrastructure and causing deaths. Nigeria’s national emergency agency said more than 300 people have died from flooding since the beginning of the year.