21 feared dead in Nigeria boat capsize

KANO: Twenty-one people are missing, feared dead, after their boat capsized in northern Nigeria, emergency services and rescue workers said.

The vessel, carrying 30 traders and their wares, overturned in high winds on a river in the Isa district of northwestern Sokoto state during a heavy downpour on Saturday. Eight passengers were rescued and the body of one of the passengers was recovered, Suleiman Karim, of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told AFP. “The boat was overloaded with goods and passengers,” he said, adding that rescue operations were being hampered by strong currents in the swollen river.