Nigerian villagers in Sokoto bury bodies after overloaded boat capsizes: 'We are devastated' - BBC News

The overloaded boat was taking people, including many children, to farms to harvest rice.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Crowds gathered at the bank of the river to watch the rescue mission

At least 48 people have died in Nigeria after an overloaded boat with an estimated 70 passengers capsized on a river in a remote area of north-western Sokoto state.

"We are devastated at the moment," Hussaini Shehu, a resident of Gorau village, told the BBC, explaining that the accident had happened on Thursday morning as people were heading out to their rice farms along the banks of the river.

Photos taken at the village mosque show many of the recovered bodies wrapped in mats and traditional cloths ahead of their burial. It is believed that so far around 10 people have been rescued.

Bashir Usman Gorau, a lawmaker the area, told the BBC that many of the victims were children.