ALBAWABA - 15 children have died, and 25 others were reported missing in a boat sinking accident in Nigeria, according to a Nigerian administrative official.
The deceased children were on their way to collect firewood from a forest on the other bank of the Dandeji River in the Shagari area of northwestern Nigeria’s Sokoto State, when the overloaded boat capsized on Tuesday.
Newspaper Headlines: 15 children feared dead in Sokoto boat accident, 25 missing | TheCable https://t.co/bPrBCYZsRS pic.twitter.com/CNvqCDsSvY
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According to local media outlets, local rescue teams found 15 bodies. The dead bodies belong to 13 girls and two boys.
Information indicate that 40 children were on board the boat and that 25 children are still among the missing. Unconfirmed news suggested that few children survived when they swam to safety.
It was reported that children of this village are used to crossing the river every morning to collect firewood for them to be resold in the village aiming to support their families.
Nigeria often witnesses boat accidents, most of the time caused by overloading, excessive speed, lack of maintenance or non-compliance with navigation rules.
