Abuja, September 15: At least 41 bodies were recovered, and 12 others rescued after a wooden boat capsized in Nigeria's northwestern state of Zamfara, local authorities said on Sunday.

The boat carrying more than 50 passengers and crew capsized on a river near Gummi, a town in the Gummi local government area of Zamfara, shortly after leaving the shore on Saturday, Suleiman Gummi, a national legislator representing the Gummi-Bukkuyum constituency in Nigeria's Federal House of Representatives, told reporters on Sunday. Boat Capsize in Afghanistan: 20 People Killed After Boat Capsizes in River in Eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.

The passengers were farmers who travel daily by boat to their farmlands in neighbouring communities, Gummi said. Local authorities swiftly deployed personnel to the incident scene, including local divers, who pulled out at least a dozen survivors, Xinhua news agency reported.

In an interview with local media, Hassan Daura, head of the Zamfara State Emergency Management Agency, said mostly women and children were killed in the incident. Boat Capsize in Mauritania: At Least 89 People Dead After Migrant Boat Sinks off Mauritania’s Coast.

Boat accidents are frequently reported in the West African country and are often attributed to factors such as overloading, adverse weather conditions, and operational errors.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2024 06:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).