Abdulkadir Yusuf, a director with the authority, said rescue teams had recovered about 40 bodies from the accident site as search operations continued for other passengers believed to be missing.

"So far, around 40 bodies of children have been recovered from the scene,” Yusuf said in a statement confirming the scale of the disaster. Authorities had not immediately released a complete passenger manifest or established a final number of people aboard the vessel.

A resident of the affected area said local divers carried out much of the initial recovery effort before the operation expanded. "Local divers recovered the bodies, and the search for other missing passengers is continuing,” the resident said, according to information reviewed by Diplomat News Network.

The vessel was reported to have been carrying more passengers than its designated capacity when it overturned off Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria. Officials had not immediately provided further details about the boat’s condition or identified a definitive cause beyond reports that it was overloaded.

At the scene, local divers and residents continued searching the water as families awaited information about passengers who remained unaccounted for. The reliance on community divers underscored the difficulties facing emergency operations in areas where waterways connect rural settlements and where formal rescue resources may take time to reach accident sites.

Boat travel is an important means of transportation in several parts of Nigeria, particularly in communities situated along rivers and other inland waterways. Fatal accidents occur periodically, with overloading and unsafe operating conditions repeatedly emerging as major safety concerns.

The Sokoto accident follows another deadly boat disaster in northeastern Nigeria earlier this year. At least 25 people were killed in January when a boat capsized in Yobe State, highlighting continuing risks for passengers using inland water transport.

The latest deaths are likely to intensify attention on enforcement of passenger limits and other safety requirements governing commercial and community boats. Preventing overcrowding is particularly significant in areas where waterways remain essential for movement between settlements and access to economic activities.

Search operations in Sokoto continued Thursday, with authorities and local responders working to locate additional missing passengers and establish the full number of people aboard. Officials were also expected to assess the circumstances surrounding the capsize as families awaited confirmation about those still missing.