At least 50 people, including 40 children, died in a shipwreck in Nigeria.

An overloaded boat capsized in Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria, killing at least fifty people, including about forty children. The victims were on their way to work in agricultural fields.

The bodies were found wrapped in traditional mats and fabrics, laid out in the courtyard of a mosque awaiting burial. A witness counted fifty bodies at the scene. Local authorities confirmed the death toll on Thursday.

Abdulkadir Yusuf, regional head of the National Inland Waterways Authority, said, "I can confirm that about 40 children's bodies have been recovered." One resident reported counting at least 42 victims, "mostly women and children." His 13-year-old granddaughter was among the dead. "During the rainy season, women and children go to work in the fields," he explained.

Authorities describe the situation as "catastrophic": "We have already buried 46 bodies, and five more have just been recovered from the river." Rescue teams from the National Emergency Management Agency were still working at the time of the first official statements.

Shipwrecks are frequent in Nigeria, particularly during the rainy season. Overloaded boats, poor maintenance, and disregard for safety standards cause numerous deaths each year. Last January, at least 25 people died in a similar accident in Yobe State, in the northeast of the country.