In the Andoni local government area of Rivers State, on Tuesday, a fishing boat carrying eleven people—five of them were children—capsized along the Andoni-Bonny waterways, resulting in their deaths.
According LEADERSHIP, the event happened when a strong wave struck the boat, which was carrying 25 people, causing it to split in two.
When the rescue arrived, 11 of the passengers had already drowned and 14 had been rescued, the source said our correspondent. There was no rescue crew on duty at the scene of the accident to help the passengers swim to safety.
He said that three bodies had been found thus far, and work was still being done to find the other eight.
Hon. Erastus Awortu, the chairman of the Andoni local government area council, confirmed the unfortunate incident by stating that the majority of the boat accident victims were from Ngo Town, Ataba, Isiama, and other areas within the LGA.
In a statement made available to reporters in Port Harcourt, Awortu stated that the situation was being watched in order to provide additional assistance, particularly in order to provide the survivors with the essential medical care and retrieve the deceased people’s bodies from the water.
He pledged to use all of his resources to lessen the anguish experienced by the impacted communities and the relatives of the deceased.