20 dead after boat carrying fishermen capsizes in northeastern Nigeria

At least 20 fishermen died after their boat capsized on Monday in the Anyiin area of River Benue in north-eastern Nigeria’s Taraba state.

Boat accidents are frequent on Nigeria’s poorly regulated waterways due to overloaded boats, lack of maintenance and poor safety, particularly in the annual rainy season when rivers and lakes swell and flood.

In June, at least 108 people drowned after a wooden boat carrying more than 250 people from a late-night wedding across the Niger River in Kwara state, north cantral Nigeria, broke apart after hitting a log.