Overturned Ferry Ship: 26 Dead, Majority Of Women And Children Victims

Illustration of crossing services in Nigeria. (Wikimedia Commons/Ebere Jude)

JAKARTA - At least 26 people were killed and several others missing, after a ferry capsized at a reservoir in Nigeria, local officials said on Sunday.

The majority of victims in the second major accident to occur in the region in the past three months have been dominated by women and children.

Bologi Ibrahim, spokesman for the governor of Niger State, said the ship was carrying more than 100 people, including women and children, in the local government area of Mokwa in the state.

Ibrahim further revealed that the victims were about to go to their fields across from the big dam by ferry, Ibrahim said.

"Twenty-six people, most women and children have been confirmed dead, more than 30 people have been rescued," Ibrahim said in a statement.

"Meanwhile, joint rescue operations by marine police and local divers in collaboration with the Niger State Emergency Management Agency are underway," continued Ibrahim.

In July, more than 100 people were killed when a ship overloaded overturned in a remote area of Niger State, in one of the worst disasters in recent years.

It is known that excessive passenger density and poor maintenance are the causes of most ship accidents in Nigerian waters.