At Least 103 People Drowned and 100 Rescued After Boat Overturns With Wedding Guests

At least 103 people tragically lost their lives in northern Nigeria when a boat carrying wedding guests capsized on the Niger River in the Pategi district of Kwara state.

Nigerian authorities confirmed the devastating incident on Tuesday, revealing that among the victims are children who were returning from a late-night celebration after attending a wedding in Egboti.

The guests, who were relatives from various villages, had travelled on motorcycles and were unable to return due to the flooded road caused by heavy rainfall. Consequently, they resorted to using a locally made boat, which became overloaded with 300 people.

According to the Jamaica Gleaner, local chief Abdul Gana Lukpada recounted the unfortunate sequence of events leading to the boat’s capsizing, stating, “The boat hit a large log in the water, causing it to split into two.”

Lukpada further explained that when the news reached nearby residents, they rushed to the scene to assist in the rescue efforts, which proved to be slow and “very difficult.”

Initially, fifty individuals were pulled from the river by the villagers, while a combined rescue team comprising police and residents managed to save a total of 100 wedding guests, as confirmed by police spokesman Okasanmi Ajayi.

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