The boat was traveling from Kogi state, central Nigeria, to a weekly market in neighboring Niger state when it sank.
It is believed that among the passengers there were traders and laborers.
The cause of the accident is still unknown, but there are indications that many of the passengers may not have been wearing life jackets.
It is difficult to get exact details of who exactly boarded the boat because there was no record, the local official in charge told the BBC.
“The problem is that there is no passenger manifest, and because of the time when the accident happened, it is very difficult to provide accurate data about the persons, the survivors and the missing,” Justin Uche, who is the head of the Emergency Management situations in Kogi State. Management of the agency.
Meanwhile, Kogi State Governor Usman Ododa has ordered all hospitals where survivors are being treated to ensure proper care including nutrition.
He also called for stricter enforcement of safety rules to avoid similar incidents in the future.
In the last 60 days, this is the third case of loss of a passenger ship in Nigeria.
Last month, a wooden dugout canoe, in which there were almost 300 passengers, overturned and sank in the middle of the Niger River about 200 people died.
Just last week, five people died in a collision between two boats in Delta State, southern Nigeria.
