Nigerian ferry capsizes, killing at least 32: rescuers

At least 20 people died in another boat accidentin southern Nigeria last month. [AFP]

A crowded ferry boat has capsized in Nigeria's Niger State, drowning at least 32 people, rescuers said on Thursday, raising the toll from the country’s latest fatal boat tragedy.

The vessel, which had nearly 100 men, women and children on board, reportedly hit a tree stump.

It capsized on Tuesday morning on the Malale River in the North Central region of the country, Red Cross representative Abubakar Idris told AFP.

"The cause was attributed to overloading and collision with a tree stump," the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said.

Raising an earlier toll, SEMA said 32 people were known to have died.

"After a thorough search and rescue operation, our men at Borgu (local district) have discovered three more bodies.

"Eight (people) are still missing and 50 survivors have been rescued," SEMA representative Abdullahi Baba Arah told AFP.

Search operations are continuing, he added.

The passengers were travelling by river to the village of Dugga, around 15-20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) away to pay their respects to someone who had died a few days earlier, rescue services said.

It reportedly hit the tree stump and capsized near the village of Gausawa.

Accidents are common on Nigeria's busy rivers, often caused by overloaded boats, poor maintenance or failure to comply with safety regulations.

In late August, a boat carrying around 50 people overturned in the northwestern state of Sokoto, killing three people. Twenty-five others are missing, presumed dead.

A month earlier, six young girls drowned when the boat taking them home from a day’s work in the fields overturned in the middle of a river in northern Jigawa State.

Police said the boat was travelling in the dark, the water level was high and there were strong winds. Security regulations were not followed and the passengers did not have life jackets.