Sudan: At least 15 drown in Nile ferry tragedy

Doctors in Sudan have confirmed that 15 people drowned, and six others are still missing, after a ferry boat carrying at least 27 people sank in the Nile between the areas of Taiba Al-Khawad and Dim Al-Qrai in Shendi locality in River Nile state on Wednesday evening.

In a statement via X, The Sudan Doctors Network say that while six people survived, six others are still missing. The boat reportedly first capsized and then sank, leaving all the passengers, who included women, children, and seniors, at the mercy of the Nile.

The doctors confirm that 15 bodies have been recovered, while residents of the area and the government civil defence units are still searching for the missing people.

“This painful humanitarian tragedy once again reveals the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements, as well as the complete absence of local authorities and civil defence rescue teams in the early hours of the incident, which exacerbated the scale of the tragedy,” the Sudan Doctors Network laments, and calls on the relevant authorities to take urgent action to send specialised rescue teams and search and rescue equipment, “while taking immediate measures to ensure the safety of river transport and prevent the recurrence of such disasters that claim the lives of innocent people”.