# At least 29 people have died in Nigeria’s northern Niger state after a boat carrying about 100 people sank in a river. However, a local official told the Reuters news agency that the death toll had risen to 60. Officials say the reportedly overloaded boat, carrying passengers including children, capsized when it struck a submerged tree stump. Boat accidents are fairly common in Nigeria, often due to overloading, poor regulation and inadequate safety precautions. In December 2024, 54 bodies were recovered from the River Niger after a boat with more than 200 passengers capsized.
60 feared dead after boat hits tree stump in Nigeria