At least 16 people have been killed and dozens more are missing after a boat carrying about 300 passengers sank in north-central Nigeria, officials said on Thursday.

The passengers, mostly women and children, were travelling to a remote town towhen the accident occurred, said Abdullahi Baba Arrah, head of the Niger State Relief and Emergency Agency.

He added that the boat was carrying about 300 people and was crossing the Niger River in the Gbajibo area near Mokwa when it ran into difficulties.
Agency spokesman Ibrahim Odo Husseini said at least 16 bodies had been found.