One dies in Bayelsa boat mishap

One person has been confirmed dead after a speed boat carrying 15 passengers capsized at Okubie River in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The incident is coming barely two weeks after a wooden cargo boat exploded and sank at Ezetu in the same Local Government Area, leading to the death of 20 persons.

The Bayelsa State Government subsequently reinforced safety protocols, including the compulsory use of life jackets on all passenger boats.

The Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union, Ipgansi Ogoniba, who confirmed the incident on Sunday, August 25, 2024, said the boat capsized at the river near Okubie community in Bayelsa State on Saturday afternoon.

Ogoniba disclosed that 14 passengers were rescued while one person died in the incident.

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He added that the cause of the boat mishap was yet to be ascertained.

An eyewitness, who declined to be named, collaborated that the boat was carrying passengers from Yenagoa to Oporoma, the Southern Ijaw LGA headquarters when the incident occurred.

He said while other passengers onboard were rescued by sympathisers in the community, one person was drowned before help could come.

He attributed the incident to the rising water level due to the rainy season, which posed additional challenges to navigation along the waterways.

The Star