Nigeria boat accident kills 26

A boat accident on the Niger River in southern Nigeria has killed at least 26 people in a region particularly at risk of heavy flooding during the rainy season. [File, Stadard]

A boat accident on the Niger River in southern Nigeria has killed at least 26 people in a region particularly at risk of heavy flooding during the rainy season.

Traders were taking the boat from an area in Kogi State to a market in Illushi in Edo State on the other side of the riverbank when the accident happened on Tuesday, authorities in Kogi State said.

"Reports indicate that the unfortunate incident has allegedly claimed the lives of not less than 26 passengers," Kingsley Femi Fanwo, Kogi State commissioner for information, said in a statement on X.

The national rescue agency, NEMA, told AFP on Wednesday that it had sent teams to the scene.

Accidents are common on Nigeria's busy rivers, often caused by overloaded boats, poor maintenance or failure to comply with safety regulations.

Last month, a crowded ferry boat capsized in Niger State after reportedly hitting a tree stump, drowning at least 32 people.

In late August, a boat carrying around 50 people overturned in the northwestern state of Sokoto, killing three and leaving 25 others missing.

"We call on our people, especially riverine communities, to always prioritise safety by avoiding overloading and by using life jackets and other precautionary measures whenever they travel by water," Fanwo added.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement on X, expressed "profound sorrow at the unfortunate incident... especially as the victims were embarking on their legitimate quest to make a decent living".

Tinubu "once again urges operators of water transportation to prioritise safety over financial considerations in their daily business", he said.

Dangerous to navigate

Kogi State is particularly vulnerable to flooding during the rainy season, which generally lasts from March to November in the region.

A few hundred kilometres (miles) upstream from the site of the accident, in Lokoja, the Niger River -- the third longest in Africa -- is joined by its main tributary, the Benue River.

Several riverside communities suffered from flooding in September.

They included the Ibaji area, where the traders had departed from in the latest boat accident, and which is the region's rice-producing hub.

Heavy rainfall causes the river waters to flood, making navigation particularly dangerous.

According to local authorities, flooding forced 76,000 people from their homes last year.

Poor infrastructure and inadequate drainage often worsens the impact of floods triggered by heavy rains across Africa's most populous country.

Scientists have warned that climate change is fuelling more extreme weather patterns.