ABUJA, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- One more body has been recovered and eight others rescued after a passenger boat capsized on the Niger River in central Nigeria's Niger State, raising the death toll to 30 and the number of survivors to 58, a local official said Friday.
Manzo Ezekiel, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told Xinhua by telephone that the update followed intensified search efforts after the accident on Tuesday, when a wooden passenger boat carrying people on a condolence visit struck a tree stump and overturned in the Gausawa community, the Borgu Local Government Area.
"As it stands now, at least two more bodies are being searched for," Ezekiel said, noting that rescue operations were still underway Friday.
He confirmed that the boat, believed to have been carrying about 90 passengers, was overloaded and collided with a tree stump, according to preliminary investigations. Local authorities had earlier reported 29 recovered bodies and 50 rescued.
The ongoing search is being led by the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, with support from other agencies, local divers, and community volunteers. NEMA said it is working with all stakeholders to ensure a coordinated and sustained response.
Boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria, often blamed on overloading, poor safety standards, and harsh weather conditions. ■
