At least 21 people have died after a boat carrying dozens of passengers capsized and sank in the river Nile. The passenger ferry carrying 30 people capsized on Wednesday, February 12 in the Tayba-Al-Khawad area of Sudan.

The boat was crossing the river between the villages of Tayba al-Khawad and Deim al-Qarai when tragedy struck. A source reported that the boat overturned in a stretch of the river north of Khartoum due to rough waters, prompting civil defence teams to rush to the scene and begin rescue and recovery efforts. Witnessing the incident local residents raced to help with the incident effort.

Only eight passengers survived the tragic accident, while 21 lost their lives and one person remains missing.

In a statement the Sudan Doctors Network said the tragedy highlights "the fragility of river transport". The statement read: “This painful humanitarian tragedy once again reveals the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements, in addition to the complete absence of local authorities and civil defence rescue teams in the early hours of the incident.

“[This] exacerbated the scale of the disaster.”