Dozens feared dead in Nigeria after boat capsizes

Divers and local volunteers have been searching the River Niger following the incident

Dozens of people are feared dead after a boat capsized in north-central Nigeria.

The boat was ferrying more than 300 passengers on the River Niger when it overturned on Tuesday night, said Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema) head Abdullahi Baba Arah.

On Thursday, another Nsema official told the BBC that 26 bodies had been recovered so far but that search efforts were still continuing.

Earlier, local council chairman Abdullahi Muregi was quoted by Nigerian media as saying that around 60 bodies had been found.

Mr Arah's statement said 150 people had been rescued alive and that most of the boat's passengers were women and children on their way to celebrate the Muslim festival of Mawlid.

Mr Arah praised the "prompt response" from community volunteers, who have been attempting to rescue the passengers with "brave" local divers.

His colleague Ibrahim Husaini said it was not clear exactly how many people were on the boat as there was no register, so it was impossible to know how many people were still missing.

Mr Muregi on Thursday told the BBC that 150 remained unaccounted for.

The boat had been travelling from a community called Mundi.

Many of the passengers were headed to the village of Gbajibo to mark Mawlid - a celebration of the Prophet Muhammad's birth.

Mr Arah's statement did not say what had caused the boat to capsize.

However incidents of boats overturning on the River Niger, the third-longest river in Africa, are common, especially during the rainy season when water levels are high.

Some of the boats on the river are rickety and overloaded with passengers. Debris, such as tree branches, on the water can also cause challenges for the boats.

In September last year, at least 24 people died when a boat overturned in the same area. The vessel was ferrying more than 50 passengers, who were on their way to farm for harvest.

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