No fewer than 160 people were feared killed while others went missing after a ferry carrying over 160 passengers sank in the River Niger.
The boat left central Niger state and was heading to northwest Kebbi state when it split and sank, Abdullahi Buhari Wara, administrative head of Ngaski district said.
“A rescue operation is underway but only 22 survivors and one dead body have been recovered,” Wara said. “We are talking of around 140 passengers still missing.”
Wara blamed the Kebbi accident on overloading as the boat was meant to ferry not more than 80 passengers.
The vessel was also loaded with bags of sand from a gold mine, the official said.
The passengers were said to be mostly women and children, although the actual figures were yet unclear.
The incident came weeks after a boat capsized in Niger, killing about 30 people.
