Abu dhabi: Fifty-one people, mostly women and children, were killed on Thursday after a boat capsized in a river in Sokoto State in north-western Nigeria. Local authorities confirmed the incident, which reports attributed to unsafe operating conditions and overloading.

According to Emirates News Agency, Abdulkadir Yusuf, Area Manager for the National Inland Waterways Authority in Sokoto State, confirmed the accident. Media reports said the boat was carrying people traveling to farms for work in the town of Gorau in the Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.