Eyewitnesses told the boat travelling along the Niger River was carrying wedding guests who were returning on Monday morning to Kwara state from a ceremony in nearby Niger state.
Local daily Nigerian Tribune reported that the passengers were from Kpada, Egbu and Gakpan villages in Kwara and that the wedding had been held in Egboti village in Niger state.
Reporter Ahmed Idris from the capital, Abuja, said rescue operations have been ongoing since Monday.
“What we know so far is that most of the passengers were not wearing any protective gear like life vests”, he said. “Funerals have been held for at least 60 people who were killed in the accident.”
Police are yet to confirm how many people have died or how many were on board the boat, which was reportedly overloaded.
There have been similar mishaps in the past in the area which is close to the confluence between the rivers Niger and Benue, two of Africa’s longest.
In May 2021, a boat sank on the Niger around the same area, according to another local daily The Guardian. As many as 160 people died in that accident.
Almost everyone on board a boat died when it capsized in a flood-swollen river in Nigeria's Anambra state, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday.
An estimated 85 people were taking the overloaded boat when flooding of the Niger River caused it to tip over.
"The boat reportedly carrying 85 persons capsized following rising floods in Ogbaru area of the state, with emergency services confirming a total death count of 76," Buhari's office quoted him as saying.
He directed the emergency services to provide relief to the victims.
"I pray for the repose of the souls of the victims and for everyone's safety, as well as the well-being of the family members of the victims of this tragic accident," he added.
Earlier on Sunday, the emergency services said rising water level was hampering rescue efforts.
"The water level is very high and too risky for a smooth search and rescue operation," Thickman Tanimu, the southeast coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) told AFP.
He said the flooding was the worst the country has seen in years, with the water level around one-tenth higher than a decade ago.
NEMA requested the Nigerian Air Force provide helicopters for the rescue operation.
Anambra state governor Charles Soludo urged residents of flood-ravaged areas to relocate, while adding that the government would provide relief to those affected by the disaster.
"This development is still a shock to the government and good people of Anambra State. I sympathise with the families of people involved," Soludo said in a statement.
Boat accidents occur regularly in Nigeria because of overloading, speeding, poor maintenance and disregarding navigation rules.
Since the start of the rainy season, many regions of the West African nation of more than 200 million people have been devastated by floods
More than 300 people have been killed and at least 100,000 made homeless, according to the emergency services.
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The continuous rain has washed away farmland and crops, sparking fears of food shortages, famine and hunger in a country already struggling with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
