A boat carrying approximately 200 passengers capsized and sank on the Niger River in the eponymous state in western Nigeria, leading to at least 9 fatalities, according to media reports released on Friday.
Search and rescue operations are currently underway at the scene, but no information regarding survivors has been disclosed as of yet. The passengers were reportedly en route to the Katcha market and were not wearing life jackets.
This incident marks the second such disaster in recent times on the Niger River. In October, a boat carrying around 300 people sank in the same area, with half of those aboard being rescued.
Authorities attribute maritime transport tragedies to the overloading of vessels.
