[ad_1]
Nearly everyone on board was killed when a boat capsized in a flooded river in Nigeria’s Anambra state, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday.
An estimated 85 people were aboard the overloaded boat after a flood in the Niger River overturned the boat on Friday.
“Emergency services confirmed the death toll at 76 after a boat carrying 85 people capsized following reports of flooding in the Ogbaru region of the state,” Buhari’s office quoted him as saying.
He directed emergency services to provide relief to victims.
“My prayers are for the souls of the deceased and for the safety of everyone and the well-being of the families of the victims of this tragic accident,” he added.
Earlier on Sunday, emergency services said rising water levels had hampered rescue efforts.
“The water level is very high and the risk is too high for a successful search and rescue operation,” Sikmantanimu, the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) southeast coordinator, told AFP.
He said it was the country’s worst flooding in years, with water levels about a tenth higher than they were a decade ago.
NEMA has asked the Nigerian Air Force to provide helicopters for the rescue operation.
Anambra state governor Charles Soludo urged residents in flood-stricken areas to relocate, while adding that the government would provide relief to affected areas.
“This development continues to shock the government and good people in Anambra State. My sympathies go out to the families of those involved,” Soludo said in a statement.
Ship accidents are frequent in Nigeria due to overloading, overspeeding, poor maintenance and disregard of sailing rules.
Many parts of the West African country of more than 200 million people have been devastated by flooding since the rainy season began.
More than 300 people have been killed and at least 100,000 left homeless, according to emergency services.
Incessant rains have washed away farmland and crops, raising fears of food shortages, famine and starvation in a country already battling the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.
[ad_2]
Source link