In a boat disaster that happened in the River Niger at Mmiata Anam in the Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State, five people have been officially declared deceased and thirty more have been rescued.
The boat was reportedly traveling across the River Niger from Kogi State to Anambra when it capsized along the Mmiata riverbanks.
Our correspondent was informed by a source in the community’s riverine section that the incident occurred early on Sunday.
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The insider provided PUNCH Metro with a video that revealed the majority of the deceased were women and children.
The deceased individuals, whose identities are unknown, were reportedly from a riverine area in Kogi State and were traveling by water to Onitsha for various business.
“A boat capsized at the River Niger early this morning,” the source stated. A portion of the victims are from Mmiata Anam in the Anambra West Local Government Area and Kogi State.
The majority of the victims were minors and women. When rescue personnel came on the scene a short while later, they dove into the water to retrieve the victims’ lifeless bodies, which they then dumped beside the riverbank. While rescue efforts continued, we were able to count more than ten dead bodies.
When contacted, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, verified the event and stated that its agents had responded quickly to a distress call.
Ikenga clarified, though, that although the rescuers were able to save roughly thirty people, five of them had already passed away.
“The situation is under control,” stated Ikenga. When our marine operators received the distress call regarding the situation, they acted quickly.
In addition to recovering the five dead bodies from the boat’s capsize and more than thirty of the passengers alive, we were also able to save the vessel.
“According to preliminary information, the boat originated from Kogi State and was transporting passengers and cargo prior to the regrettable tragedy.
“Please understand that the investigation is still ongoing and the cause has not yet been determined.”
Chinyere Nwoye, the State Emergency Management Authority’s public relations officer, responded that the organization was reaching out to identify the victims when contacted as well.
In addition to calling the police, we are establishing communication. It was said that the majority of the victims were from Kogi. However, we intend to go here.
As he expressed sympathy to the bereaved families of the dead, Senator Tony Nwoye, who represents Anambra North Senatorial Zone, which includes the community where the incident occurred, bemoaned the boat crash.
Nwoye stated that he will supply speed boats for the riverine people in his area and blamed the accident on the absence of a suitable transportation infrastructure.