47 People die as boat capsizes in Sokoto

At least 47 people have died after a boat carrying farm workers capsized in a river in Sokoto State, officials have said.

The incident occurred on Thursday as the passengers were travelling to farms in Gorau, Goronyo Local Government Area of the state.

Abdulkadir Yusuf, the Sokoto State Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority, confirmed that the death toll had risen to 47 “so far.”

A resident, 55-year-old Samaila Garba, said his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among those who died in the incident.

Garba said he had personally counted at least 42 bodies recovered from the water, adding that most of the victims were women and children.

“You know, during the rainy season, most women and children go to the farm to work,” he told the Associated Press.

Another resident, Aminu Dan Hajiya, said he regularly uses the same waterway to access his farm and considered himself fortunate not to have been aboard the boat.

“In fact, almost every household in the community has been affected,” he said.

The incident has left residents mourning as efforts continue to account for the victims and establish the circumstances surrounding the boat’s capsizing.

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