Five Sudan footballers drown as boat capsizes in latest Nile tragedy

Five Sudan footballers drown as boat capsizes in latest Nile tragedy
Five Sudanese football players died after their boat sank in the Nile River in the country's north
1 min read
01 March, 2022
The river has seen many similar incidents over the years [Getty- archive]

Five Sudanese footballers drowned in the Nile River on Monday after their boat sank in northern Sudan, according to state-media.

The Al-Malaha club players were travelling by boat from the city of Shendi, in the northern River Nile state, to El-Metamm, where they were due to play Al-Jarif club, when their boat capsized, according to the SUNA news agency.

Rescue teams are reportedly still searching for bodies.

Drownings are not uncommon in the Nile River in Sudan, with people using boats often deemed unsafe.

More than 20 schoolchildren died in 2018 and at least 100 people died in 2019 after they drowned in the river, which reached unprecedented levels of high currents in 2020.

The floods saw large parts of Sudan submerged in water and displaced over a million people.