At least 21 people have died after a passenger boat sank in River Nile state in northern Sudan.

The boat was travelling between the villages of Tayba al Khawad and Deim al Qarai on Wednesday evening when it capsized in the Shendi area. Nearly 30 people were on board, including women, elderly passengers and children, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

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Authorities in River Nile state said 21 bodies had been recovered, the AFP news agency reported on Thursday. In an earlier statement, the medical group said six people had survived.

“Rescue teams are continuing with their work since there could be more bodies,”  Mohamed Faisal Hassan, spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network, told the BBC.

Eyewitnesses said high waves struck the vessel before it overturned. Search teams have continued combing the river amid fears that the death toll could rise.

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The Sudan Doctors Network urged the authorities to deploy specialised rescue teams and equipment to speed up recovery efforts. It also called for urgent reforms to improve safety on the Nile.

“This painful humanitarian tragedy once again reveals the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements,” the group said in a statement. It added that immediate steps were needed to prevent similar disasters that “claim innocent lives”.

Hassan said weak regulation of river transport may have played a role. Many of the boats operating on the Nile are privately owned, he said, and proper oversight and safety systems are often lacking.

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Authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Accidents involving traditional boats are not uncommon in Sudan. In many rural areas, bridges are scarce and river crossings are a daily necessity for communities on both sides of the Nile.

The disaster comes as Sudan remains gripped by war. Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April 2023 and has since devastated large parts of the country, including the capital Khartoum and the Darfur region. Millions have been displaced and basic services have been severely weakened.

River Nile state has largely avoided frontline combat, but the wider instability has stretched public services and strained already limited infrastructure.
For families in Tayba al Khawad and Deim al Qarai, the focus now is on mourning the dead and waiting for news of those still missing, as rescue teams continue their search along the Nile.