At least 150 people are missing after a boat capsized in western Nigeria, officials reported on Wednesday.
The incident occurred late Tuesday night in the Mokwa region, according to Abdullahi Baba, director general of the Niger State emergency agency. The boat was reportedly carrying around 300 individuals who were en route to an annual Muslim religious celebration. Rescue efforts are currently underway to find more survivors.
In a separate incident on September 15, eight migrants lost their lives when their overcrowded vessel sank while attempting to cross the English Channel from France to England. This tragedy brings the total number of migrants who have died trying to reach England from France this year to 46, a significant increase from just 12 in 2023.
Both the French and British governments have been working to curtail the flow of migrants, many of whom pay smugglers thousands of euros to make the perilous journey on overcrowded inflatable boats.
In July, a similar tragedy occurred off the coast of Mauritania, where at least 15 migrants died and dozens went missing after their boat capsized, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and local sources.
