Seventy-six people were killed when their overloaded boat capsized in southeastern Nigeria’s Anambra state on Friday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Sunday.
About 85 people were on board the boat that was sailing on the Niger River. Anambra is one of 29 states in Nigeria, of which there are 36, that have been devastated by heavy flooding since the start of the rainy season.
“The boat (apparently) carrying 85 people is believed to have capsized following flooding in the Ogbaru area of the state, and emergency services have confirmed a death toll of 76,” Muhammadu Buhari’s office said.
“I pray for the rest of the souls of the deceased and for the safety of all, as well as for the well-being of the families of the victims of this tragic accident,” added the president.
big floods
Since the start of the rainy season, many parts of Nigeria have been devastated by floods. More than 300 people have died and at least 100,000 others have been made homeless in the country’s worst floods since 2012, according to emergency services.
Thousands of farmlands and crops have also been flooded, raising fears of food shortages and famine in a country already grappling with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Source: BFM TV
