About 40 people are feared dead after a boat carrying farmers and labourers to rice farms capsized in Gorau town, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
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The accident reportedly occurred on Thursday while the passengers were crossing a stream to access farmlands in the area.
An eyewitness account indicated that more than 70 people were on board the canoe when it capsized shortly after take-off.
Most of the passengers were reportedly children between the ages of 10 and 15, alongside farm owners and labourers engaged to harvest rice.
A local journalist who was at the scene, Sharhabilu Yahuza Kiliya, said about 40 bodies had been recovered as of the time of his account, while six people had been rescued.
The village head was among those on board and was reportedly one of the survivors.
“So far, we have recovered about 40 bodies, while six people, including the village head, were rescued,” Kiliya said.
According to him, the passengers were travelling to rice farms when the canoe overturned shortly after beginning the journey.
“The victims comprised farm owners and labourers who had been engaged to harvest rice,” he said.
“The canoe capsized shortly after take-off. Rescue operations are still ongoing, with local divers searching for those still missing and recovering bodies.”
The exact number of casualties had not been independently confirmed by emergency or security authorities at the time of the report, while rescue efforts remained ongoing.
Local divers were continuing to search the water for missing passengers as residents gathered around the scene.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of water transportation in riverine and farming communities, where residents frequently rely on boats and canoes to access farms and neighbouring settlements.
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