By Timothy Olanrewaju
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) – Rescue workers are unable to locate the bodies of 64 people who drowned after a boat capsized in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara State, an official said on Sunday.
Abubakar Umar, a spokesman for the Gummi Local Government in Zamfara State, told Anadolu that two bodies have been pulled from the river by rescue workers since the incident on Saturday morning.
"So far, two dead bodies have been removed. We have yet to find the other victims in the water," he said.
A wooden boat carrying over 70 farmers across the Tsofo Kasuwa River to farmland in the Gummi district capsized.
Local authorities confirmed that the captain of the boat and three others who could swim survived the accident.
Police said they have yet to determine the number of farmers on the boat. "We are trying to compile the number of people on board the boat," Yacid Abubakar, a police spokesman in Zamfara, told Anadolu over the phone.
Boat accidents frequently occur in the area due to an increase in the water level following torrential rains.
In May 2023, at least seven people were killed when a boat capsized on a river in the state.