KHARTOUM: At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses said.

River Nile State said on Thursday that 21 bodies had been recovered after the accident, listed their names and warned that some passengers were still missing.

The boat was crossing the river between the villages of Tayba al-Khawad and Deim al-Qarai, according to the local government’s statement. The statement did not explain the cause of the accident. Eyewitnesses said the boat was carrying 30 people.

The Sudanese Doctors Network said that six of the boat’s passengers survived. The group said the incident exposes “the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements”.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026