Ten die as ‘overloaded’ boat breaks apart in Nigeria

Nigerian authorities say they recovered 10 bodies on Wednesday after a boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized in a river in the north,

A local official is quoted as saying that the boat had been overloaded with passengers “beyond its capacity”.

The boat had been carrying passengers returning from a farm on the River Niger and broke in half as it approached Samanaji village in Koko-Besse district.

Over 80 passengers were rescued.

Boat accidents are relatively common in Nigeria with many being blamed on overloading or poor safety measures.

BBC Africa