At least 100 people are missing, and eight have died after a motorboat capsized in northeastern Nigeria on Friday, according to authorities. The ship sank in the Niger River as it was moving between Kogi and Niger.
Most of those missing are people, officials reported.
The boat capsized early on Friday night, according to Ibrahim Audu, spokesman for the Niger state crisis management company. The people were heading for a food industry.
Eyewitness accounts from Channels Television indicate that eight casualties have been confirmed at the field. Local fishermen are working to save any individuals, local media added.
The cause of the falling remains vague, though studies suggest the ship, carrying over 200 people, may have been overloaded. Overcrowding is a common problem in Nigeria’s rural regions, where bad road network limits travel options.
According to Justin Uwazuruonye, the head of Nigeria’s federal emergency management firm procedures in the state, Kogi officials are still trying to determine the exact location of the event.
