Ten bodies have been recovered after a ferry capsized in a remote village in northeastern Nigeria and nearly 100 people are unaccounted for, a survivor said today.
The Nigerian Red Cross said 150 people were on the ferry which was travelling from Numan in Adamawa state to Jen in neighbouring Taraba state on the River Gongola, a tributary of Nigeria's second longest River Benue.
All the passengers on the ferry which was carrying drums of petrol, cement and grains, were feared missing, the Red Cross said today, adding that rescue workers were still searching for survivors.
But survivor Anthony Nicholas said 10 bodies had been recovered, adding that fewer than 50 people had swam to safety after the boat crashed on Thursday.
Police in Numan said only three bodies had so far been recovered. Police in Yola, the Adamawa state capital, said they had no details of the accident.
Nigeria's waterways and roads are the scene of frequent crashes which often kill many people. Police usually blame such accidents on overloading, speeding and poorly maintained passenger boats and vehicles.