At least 60 dead after boat capsizes in Nigeria

About 160 people have now been rescued after the wooden boat ferrying nearly 300 passengers sank on Tuesday night on the River Niger around the Gbajibo community, said Jibril Abdullahi Muregi, chairman of the Mokwa local government area.

The boat was returning to Gbajibo from Mundi after the annual Maulud celebration when disaster struck, Muregi said in a statement late yesterday

Rescue operations are still ongoing, he said.

It was not yet clear why the boat sank.

Overcrowding and poor maintenance are responsible for most boat accidents on Nigerian waterways.