A boat carrying about 100 people, including a father and his four children, has overturned in Egbu village, Patigi local government area, Kwara State.

According to a report, the accident on Monday killed dozens of people.

No fewer than 50 dead bodies have been retrieved from the disaster, which has apparently plunged the whole local government region of the state into sadness.

The victims were reported to be on their way back from a marriage ceremony in the nearby Egboti village in Niger State.

According to community sources, the deceased had traveled from Kpada village in Kwara State to attend a wedding event at Egboti village in Niger State.

Okasanmi Ajayi, the state Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), confirmed the incident on Tuesday, stating that the command had dispatched the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the Patigi local government area of the state to the area to gather more information on the incident.

The PPRO said that “there was a scanty report of a boat that capsized while carrying about a 100 people in a village in Patigi local government area of the state,” adding that “the command will give more details on the incident as soon as detailed information arrived from the area.”

Similar disasters have occurred in the past in the area around the intersection of the Niger and Benue rivers, two of Africa’s longest.

A boat also sank in the same area in May 2021. That catastrophe killed up to 160 people.