76 killed as boat capsizes in flooded river in Nigeria

 76 killed as boat capsizes in flooded river in Nigeria

According to an estimate, 85 people were carrying an overloaded boat when the boat capsized due to flooding in the Niger River on Friday.

Lagos, Nigeria:

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday that nearly everyone on board was killed when a boat capsized in a flooded river in Nigeria's Anambra state.

According to an estimate, 85 people were carrying an overloaded boat when the boat capsized due to flooding in the Niger River on Friday.

Buhari's office quoted him as saying, "A boat carrying 85 people capsized after increasing flooding in the state's Ogbaru area, with emergency services confirming the death of 76 people."

He directed the emergency services to provide relief to the victims.

"I pray for the peace of the soul of the victims and the safety of all as well as the well being of the family members of the victims of this tragic accident," he said.

Earlier on Sunday, emergency services said rising water levels were hampering rescue efforts.

"The water level is too high and too risky for a smooth search and rescue operation," Thickeman Tanimu, Southeast coordinator for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told AFP.

He said the floods were the worst in the country in the past few years, with water levels almost a tenth higher than a decade ago.

NEMA requested the Nigerian Air Force to provide helicopters for the rescue operation.

Anambra state governor Charles Soludou urged residents of flood-hit areas to relocate, while also saying the government would provide relief to those affected by the disaster.

"This development is still a blow to the government and the good people of Anambra State. I sympathize with the families of those involved," Soludo said in a statement.

Boat accidents occur regularly in Nigeria due to overloading, speeding, poor maintenance and disregard for navigation rules.

Since the start of the rainy season, many areas of the West African nation's more than 200 million people have been devastated by floods.

According to emergency services, more than 300 people have been killed and at least 100,000 left homeless.

Incessant rains have washed away farmland and crops, raising fears of food shortages, famine and hunger in a country already grappling with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.