Boat capsizes in Nigeria, 40 children dead
The overloaded boat was carrying passengers to the rice fields
An overloaded boat capsized in Sokoto State, in north-western Nigeria, killing around 40 children. The death toll has been confirmed by a local official from the National Inland Waterways Authority (Niwa), the Nigerian body responsible for managing inland waterways.
“I can confirm that around 40 children’s bodies have been recovered so far,” Abdulkadir Yusuf, Niwa’s head in the area, told Reuters. The accident occurred whilst the passengers were trying to reach some rice fields to work on sowing or harvesting. According to Sarkin Daji, a local leader quoted by the agency, the boat was overloaded.
Initial reports in the Nigerian press place the shipwreck at Gorau, in the Goronyo area of Sokoto State. According to Daily Trust, as reported by other local newspapers, there were more than 70 people on board the boat and the majority of the passengers were children and teenagers aged between 10 and 15. Six people, including the village chief, are reported to have been rescued.
Similar accidents are common in Nigeria, particularly in rural communities that rely on waterways for transport. Recurring causes include, in addition to overloaded boats, failures to enforce safety regulations and the use of unsuitable vessels. Furthermore, during the rainy season, rising water levels in rivers and lakes make navigation even more dangerous.
Sokoto itself had been the scene of another serious shipwreck in August 2025. On that occasion, a boat carrying around 50 people, bound for the Goronyo market, had capsized. Twenty-five passengers were rescued, whilst another twenty-five were still missing two days after the accident and were presumed dead by the emergency services.
