One dead, five missing as Nigerian tugboat sinks off South Africa

South African authorities have rescued 12 crew members after a Nigerian tugboat sank off the country’s coast late Saturday, leaving one person confirmed dead and five others still missing.

The vessel, identified as LEO, reportedly had 18 people on board. It was said to have travelled to South Africa for repairs and ran aground in stormy conditions about 18 nautical miles offshore between Cape Town and Durban while returning to Lagos.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed on Monday that the South African Ministry of Transport had formally notified Nigerian authorities of the incident.

In a statement issued in Abuja by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the minister said search and rescue operations were ongoing for the five missing crew members.

According to her, the South African Maritime Safety Authority confirmed that the rescued crew members were being transported to Port Elizabeth, where officials of the Nigeria High Commission were heading to receive them.

She noted that one fatality had been recorded so far, while efforts to locate the remaining crew members continued.

Further updates are expected as rescue and recovery operations progress.