Dozens killed as boat capsizes in Nigeria

A boat carrying over 100 passengers sank in Nigeria's north-central Niger State, leaving a dozen people dead, rescuers said on Wednesday.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said in a statement that 29 bodies were recovered and 50 people were rescued, while two were still unaccounted for.

News agency Reuters cited a local government official as saying that the death toll was rising and had reached as high as 60.

How did the boat sink?

The accident took place around 11 a.m. local time (10 a.m. UTC) on Tuesday.

The boat had left Tungan Sule in the Malale district and was heading towards Dugga.

It hit a submerged tree stump near Gausawa community in Borgu Local Government Area and capsized.

"The cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump," SEMA said.