At least 50 dead, mostly children, after overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria

A routine journey to the rice fields turned into a devastating tragedy in Sokoto State on Thursday after an overloaded boat capsized near Gorau in Goronyo Local Government Area, leaving at least 50 people dead, many of them children.

The exact toll remains fluid as rescue and recovery operations continue. Reuters initially reported that at least 50 bodies had been recovered, while a later eyewitness account put the death toll at 53. The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), however, had earlier confirmed a lower figure as officials worked to establish the full scale of the disaster.

The boat was reportedly ferrying farmers and labourers travelling to rice farms when it overturned shortly after departure.

Local accounts differ on how many people were aboard. One resident said more than 70 passengers were packed into the vessel, while another estimated the number at 57.

But the most disturbing detail has been the age of many of the victims.

50 killed, mostly children, as overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria

Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager with NIWA, said about 40 children’s bodies had been recovered. Lawmaker Nasiru Adamu, who represents the area in the Sokoto State legislature, said many passengers were between 10 and 15 years old and confirmed that 16 people had been rescued.

‘We have buried 46 people’

The scale of the loss became clearer as bodies were brought ashore and taken to a community mosque in Gorau.

A Reuters witness reported seeing about 50 bodies laid out in the mosque's forecourt, many wrapped in traditional cloth and mats ahead of burial.

Sharhabilu Kiliya, an eyewitness, later said: “We have buried 46 people, and even more dead bodies have just been brought. The death toll is 53.”

50 killed, mostly children, as overloaded boat capsizes in Nigeria

The recovery effort has involved local divers searching the water for people still missing, while government emergency officials have been deployed to the area.

Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, said officials were heading to the scene and would provide further information.

A community devastated

The victims were reportedly farm owners and labourers travelling to harvest or work on rice farms.

The tragedy has consequently hit an agricultural community particularly hard, with residents describing widespread losses among families.

An Associated Press report carried a particularly painful account from resident Samaila Garba, who said his 13-year-old granddaughter, Jamila Usman, was among those killed. Garba said he personally counted 42 bodies recovered from the water.

Another resident described the impact in stark terms, saying almost every household in the community had been affected.

Nigeria's recurring waterway tragedy

The Sokoto accident has once again exposed the dangers faced by communities that depend on waterways for access to farms and other economic activities.

Overloaded vessels, inadequate safety equipment, poor maintenance and weak enforcement of waterway regulations have repeatedly been identified as factors behind deadly boat accidents in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season.

The latest tragedy is also not an isolated incident in Sokoto. The state has experienced several boat mishaps in recent years, including another major accident in Goronyo in 2025 that left dozens missing after a boat carrying farmers and traders capsized.

In January this year, at least 25 people were also killed when a leaking boat capsized in Yobe State.

For Gorau, however, the statistics offer little comfort. Behind the rising death toll are families waiting for missing relatives, communities preparing hurried burials and children whose journey to the rice fields became their final trip.

With rescue teams still searching the water, the number of victims could yet rise.