AMN/ WEB DESK
In northern Nigeria, a boat capsized on the Niger River on Tuesday, killing 103 people. Police and local residents said the vessel was carrying people including women and children, who were returning from a wedding in the village of Egboti in Niger state. The boat capsized in the state of Kwara, which is close to the neighbouring Niger state.
Residents and police were still searching for dozens of people who were on the overcrowded boat that capsized early Monday on the Niger River in the Pategi district of Kwara state, which is 160 kilometers from Ilorin, the state capital. 100 people had been rescued so far. Most of those who drowned were relatives from several villages who attended the wedding together and partied late into the night, according to Abdul Gana Lukpada, a local chief.
They arrived at the ceremony on motorcycles but had to leave on the locally made boat after a downpour flooded the road, he said. The boat was overloaded and close to 300 persons were in it. The boat hit a big log inside the water and split into two, said Lukpada.