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The drowning of 30 people on 1 April when a boat capsized on Lake Bagwai, 50 km west of Kano city, was one of dozens of recent boat accidents in northern Nigeria’s Kano State which officials say have cost hundreds of lives.
“The rate of boats capsizing here is becoming alarming,” Kassim Musa, head of operations of Kano’s fire brigade, told IRIN. “Hardly a month or two passes without such an accident.”
Low safety standards are the cause, Musa said. “Most of the boats are over-used and poorly maintained,” he said, adding that they are also often overloaded with passengers and goods.
“There are [no] regulatory agencies to keep the boats in check,” he said.
The latest accident occurred when a 10-seater motorboat overloaded with 34 passengers tipped over. It was carrying a bride and 30 members of her family to a wedding. All but one of the dead were women and children.
With few bridges in the north people in many parts of the north must cross the river on canoes and small motor boats.
“Accidents are most frequent in the rainy season when rivers swell up and ferrying becomes a hazard,” said Musa.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
