Niger River boat accident kills at least 26 people in Nigeria

An accident involving a boat carrying passengers on the Niger River in north-central Nigeria has killed at least 26 people, an official said Wednesday.

The accident happened Tuesday in the Ibaji area of Kogi state. The passengers were mostly traders headed to a market in neighboring Edo State, said Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi state commissioner for information.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known.

“This is a heartbreaking loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased, as well as the entire Ibaji local government area, in this moment of grief,” Fanwo said in a statement.

Kogi state government will work with federal agencies to improve waterway safety and prevent a repeat of such accidents, Fanwo said.

Boat accidents are common during the rainy season in remote areas of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.

The accidents often are caused by overloaded and poorly maintained vessels, which analysts say often operate without life jackets.

At least 31 people were killed last month when an overloaded boat hit a tree trunk in the Borgu area of Niger state.