A wooden boat carrying 20 persons, primarily vendors delivering food and supplies to coastal towns, has caught fire and burst in the middle of the river in Bayelsa State.
All 20 occupants of the horrific accident at the Ezetu 1 community river in Southern Ijaw local government area perished, according to the police.
The bodies of the people who perished are presently being recovered by rescue personnel.
ASP Musa Muhammed, a spokesman for the state police command, confirmed the tragedy to press on Thursday and said rescue attempts were underway to recover the drowned occupants of the ill-fated boat.
He said: “The local boat travelling from Ekeni community in Southern Ijaw to Yenagoa had a mishap and sank, about 20 persons were reported to have lost their lives. Efforts are ongoing to recover their corpses.”
According to a community source, the unfortunate incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday when the boat transporting passengers, including market women, caught fire on their way back from the Ezetu community in Bayelsa State’s Southern Ijaw LGA.
According to sources, the ill-fated boat ran a weekly impromptu market, moving from village to community along the coast before returning to Yenagoa.
Mr. Ipgansi Ogoniba, Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union in Bayelsa State, verified the catastrophe, adding that the boat caught fire while en route to the Okubie settlement, burning several of the passengers on board.
Although he was unable to determine the number of casualties due to ongoing search operations, the union’s rescue squad discovered one body late Wednesday evening.
He said: “The boat left Ezetu 1 community around 3 pm as they were coming to Okubie. The onboard engine they were using got fire and exploded, so the boat got burnt and sank. Some of the people onboard were drowned in the water, there was no network at that point to reach the rescue team from Yenagoa because that wooden boat always takes about 18 hours to reach Yenagoa from that point, while speedboat takes like 5 hours.”
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Comrade Odede Dinikpete Tina, Chairperson of the Association of Coastal and Waterways Communities of Nigeria in Bayelsa State, ascribed the high number of casualties to boat operators’ failure to follow safety protocols, particularly the use of life jackets.
She urged the state administration to step up efforts to connect additional coastal towns by road, emphasising the need to reduce the regular loss of life on the waters.
Tina bemoaned the fact that a lot of people still choose not to wear life jackets when sailing, even after the association has conducted numerous awareness campaigns about safety precautions.
