Akwa Ibom boat with 166 people on board sinks

A wooden boat carrying 166 people in Akwa Ibom capsized about 40 nautical miles off Nigeria coast, with only two known survivors, emergency services and local traders said on Tuesday.

The boat left on Friday from the remote town of Oron in Akwa Ibom State, across the Gulf of Guinea and was heading to Gabon in central Africa, traders said.

David Akate, head of Cross Rivers emergency services, confirmed the incident but said he had no death toll yet.