At least 40 killed as boat capsizes in Nigeria river

A boat carrying mostly farmers has capsized on a river in northwest Nigeria, drowning at least 40 people, President Bola Tinubu says.

The accident happened in Zamfara state as farmers were trying to get to their land, Tinubu said in a statement.

The president promised support for the victims and directed emergency agencies to assess the incident.

Yazid Abubakar, a police spokesman in Zamfara, told the Associated Press the accident happened on Saturday and that five people were rescued but 40 are still missing.

It was not immediately clear how many people were on the boat when it went down.

The boat was carrying mostly farmers who use the crossing regularly to sell produce at the markets and locals say they are often overloaded.

Zamfara state is rampant with armed groups who kidnap for ransom, steal cattle and engage in illegal mining.

Boat accidents are common in remote communities across Nigeria because of overloading and boats that are in poor condition.

In August, more than 20 people died in a boat accident on a river in southern Nigeria after the engine exploded.

Most boats do not carry life jackets or have proper safety measures in place, locals say.