At least 29 people, including five children, died after a boat capsized in Nigeria's Sokoto state in the northwest of the country, residents and the state governor said Wednesday.

The boat was carrying 35 people, mostly women, across a dam in Shagari local government area when it sank. Divers managed to rescue six people, governor Aminu Tambuwal said.

Burials had been conducted for the dead in the largely Muslim state.

Boat capsizings are common on Nigerian waterways due to overcrowding and lack of maintenance, particularly in the annual rainy season.

In May 2021, an overloaded boat carrying about 200 passengers sank in the Niger River in the northwestern state of Kebbi.

The boat departed from central Niger state and sank en route to Kebbi, Abdullahi Buhari Wara, administrative head of Ngaski district said.