Nigeria Kogi state boat accident: More than 50 bodies recovered and many still missing

The boat was travelling from Kogi state, central Nigeria, to a weekly market in neighbouring Niger state when it went down.

Market traders and farm labourers were thought to have been among the passengers.

The cause of the accident is not yet known but there are indications that many of the travellers may not have been wearing life jackets as required.

Getting accurate details about who exactly had boarded the boat is difficult because there was no record keeping, the local official in charge told the BBC.

“The problem is that there’s no passenger manifest and because of the time the accident occurred, giving an accurate account of persons, survivors and those missing, is very difficult,” Justin Uche, who is head of the Kogi state office of the National Emergency Management Agency said.

Meanwhile Kogi state’s governor Usman Ododo ordered all hospitals where survivors are receiving treatment to ensure that they get adequate care including food.

He also urged stricter enforcement of safety regulations to ensure that such incidents are avoided in future.

This is the third time a passenger boat has gone down in Nigeria in the last 60 days.

Last month, a wooden dugout canoe, packed with nearly 300 passengers, overturned and sank in the middle of the River Niger killing nearly 200 people.

Just last week, five people died when two boats collided in southern Nigeria’s Delta state.