By Mike Oboh

BAGWAI, Nigeria, April 1 (Reuters) - At least 40 members of a wedding party drowned in a river after the dug-out boat they were travelling in capsized in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kano, survivors and officials said on Tuesday.

The victims, mostly women and children, were escorting a bride from Bagwai district to the remote village of Badau when their boat sank late on Monday, they said.

"We cannot for now ascertain the number of deaths, though we gathered from survivors that not less than 40 people may have lost their lives in the accident," Bagwai council chairman Abdulhamid Idris said.

The lone female survivor, Habiba Bagwai, said 22 women, 15 children and three men died. The boat sank after it had ferried the first batch of members of the wedding party across the river.

"I lost three of my children, Abdullahi 17 months, Aisha four years and Ishaku six years," Bagwai told reporters from her hospital bed.

Rescuers said they saved three of the travellers and recovered nine bodies from the river.

Nigeria's waterways and roads are plagued by frequent deadly accidents. Police usually blame such accidents on overloading, speeding and poorly maintained vehicles.

In October, at least 30 people drowned in a river in the remote northwestern state of Kebbi after two dug-out boats they were travelling in collided head-on and went up in flames.

One of the boats was laden with petroleum products when it collided with the other boat which was carrying traders who were returning from a village market in Dandi district.

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )

(Writing by Tume Ahemba)

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