Kebbi boat disaster
On 26 May 2021, an overloaded and overcrowded vessel carrying at least 160 passengers broke into two and sank after hitting an object in the Nigerian part of the Niger River. The boat was travelling between Niger State and Wara in Kebbi State when it sank. The incident left at least 98 dead. Background Nigerian waterways have become increasingly dangerous in recent years, with various organizations estimating that between 150 and 350 deaths occurred in 2020 alone. In May 2021, 30 people died when a boat carrying 100 passengers hit a stump and broke in two in Niger State. In July 2020, another boat sank in Benue State with nearly 30 people on board, and seven people died when a boat sank amidst heavy rain near Lagos, followed by eight deaths in a separate boat incident a month later. Accident On 26 May 2021, an overloaded boat carrying between 150 and 200 passengers departed from the village of Lokon Minna in central Niger State to a market in Warrah in Kebbi State on the other side of the Niger River. Between 8:15 am and 8:20 am, the boat struck an object in the river, which caused it to quickly break