29 Dead in Nigerian Boat Disaster

At least 29 people have been confirmed dead after a boat capsized on the Bagwai River in Nigeria’s Kano State.

According to local government officials, the overloaded vessel was carrying more than 50 people from the village of Badau to the town of Bagwai when it capsized on Tuesday evening, 30 November.

Saminu Abdullahi, the spokesman for Kano state’s fire service, said that a majority of the victims were Islamic school students aged between six and 12 who were due to attend a religious event in Bagwai.

Seven surviving students were rescued and taken to a local hospital for treatment. Search and rescue operations are currently underway to find the missing passengers, which may result in the death toll rising.

The cause of the sinking is also being investigated, with Abdullahi citing overloading as the most plausible reason.

The incident comes two weeks after seven girls drowned when their boat overturned in neighbouring Jigawa state.

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