LAGOS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 people have died in a boat mishap on Tuesday in Cross Rivers State in south Nigeria, local sources said on Wednesday afternoon.
The accident occurred when a local transport boat, believed to have been over-loaded with more than 160 people, capsized 40 nautical miles from south Nigeria's city of Calabar, throwing all passengers overboard, most of who were believed to have died by Wednesday as rescue efforts were still going on.
A Red Cross spokeswoman told Xinhua that they are trying to get information about the incident.
"I am working to try and get you the information as soon as I hear an update," said Katherine Mueller, the organization's communications manager for Africa.
Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Yushau Shuaib had said on Tuesday night that nine bodies and two survivors were recovered so far, but hospital sources told Xinhua that the death toll was more.
The source told Xinhua that efforts are still going on with other aid agencies to rescue possible survivors and to retrieve more corpses.
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