ABUJA, NIGERIA: At least 10 people have died and another 60 went missing when a passenger boat capsized in Nigeria’s southeastern Anambra state, officials said. The incident occured between 11 AM on Friday said sources.
The boat’s engine broke immediately after it launched, according to local resident and former local government official Afam Ogene. It’s a locally built boat that can hold more than 100 passengers, but the engine failed, causing a rush, Ogene claimed. According to Tanimu, the Nigerian army’s military disaster response squad is aiding with the hunt.
Anambra is one of the 29 states in Nigeria out of the 36 that have experienced significant floods this year. Homes, farms, and highways have all been destroyed by the floodwaters, which have also affected at least 500,000 people.
The main route that connected the eight settlements to the rest of the Ogbaru local government region was devastated by floods, according to Ogene, forcing locals to travel by boat.
Farmers claim that because of the rising seas, food prices would increase in a country where millions of people have experienced food insecurity in the previous two years.
