The country’s president has said he is “deeply saddened,” pledging to address inland water transportation challenges
At least 103 people have drowned and several others remain missing after the boat they were traveling on capsized on the Niger River in southern Nigeria. It happened early Monday in the Patigi district of Kwara State, the police spokesman for the area, Okasanmi Ajayi, told the media on Tuesday.
Local media reports that the victims, including a father and his four children, were returning from a wedding at Egboti village in Niger State. More than 300 passengers are reported to have been on the vessel. They were residents of Egbu, Dzakan, Kpada, Kuchalu, and Sampi, according to The Punch.
Ibrahim Umar Bologi II, the traditional ruler of the Patigi, where the accident occurred, told journalists that river waves swamped the boat, causing it to crash into a tree that had washed into the water. He said a search and rescue operation was…