More than 40 dead after overloaded boat sinks in Nigeria

At least 40 bodies, mostly of children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat capsized in Nigeria's northwest Sokoto state, local officials and residents said on Thursday.

The accident happened near Gorau in Goronyo local government area and rescue efforts are continuing, said Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager at the National Inland Waterways Authority.

Yusuf said around 40 children's bodies had been found, while a lawmaker at the Sokoto state legislature from the area, Nasiru Adamu, said the death toll now stood at 43, with 16 rescued.

One local resident said the boat had been carrying farm owners and labourers hired to harvest rice and that more than 70 people had been onboard when it capsized.