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Flooded area in Nigeria's Kogi state
Photo: Fatai Campbell/AP
The office of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said 76 people were killed when a boat sank in Anambra state in southeastern Nigeria
The boat with 85 people on board capsized on Friday after flooding in the Ogbaru region of Anambra state, local authorities said.
Previously, there was talk of ten dead and dozens missing.
The most populous country in Africa, with 200 million inhabitants, has been struggling with the heaviest rainfall in decades since June.
As a result, the worst floods in the West African country since 2012 occurred.
300 dead because of the floods
According to the authorities, at least 300 people have died in the past few months.
Several dams have already had to be opened because they had reached a dangerously high level.
On the western border of the state of Anambra flows the Niger, Africa's third longest river.
Anambra is one of the worst affected states in Nigeria by the floods.
Boat accidents are common in Nigeria even in the absence of flooding.
Sometimes the cause is overloading, excessive speed, poor maintenance of the boats or disregard of traffic rules.
jpz/dpa/AFP/Reuters