LAGOS, Aug 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - At least 22 people are presumed dead after 
the boat they were travelling on capsized in northwest Nigeria, the country's 
emergency agency said Wednesday.

The boat was carrying about 50 farmers and traders to a local market when it 
foundered midstream in northwestern Sokoto state on Sunday.

Twenty-five people were rescued shortly after the accident by emergency 
workers, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said, and three 
bodies were found on Tuesday.

Twenty-two people remain unaccounted for but rescue operations have ended, 
said NEMA's head of operations in Sokoto, Aliyu Kafindangi.

"Search and rescue has been called off because it's expected that after 24 
hours, there is no chance of finding any survivors," Kafindangi told local 
broadcaster Channels on Wednesday.

Boat accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly regulated waterways due to 
overcrowing and poor maintenance, particularly during the rainy season when 
rivers and lakes overflow.

At least 16 farmers died in a similar accident in August 2024 when a wooden 
canoe carrying them to their rice fields capsized in Sokoto state.