The National Inland Waterways Authority NIWA, says it deployed relevant personnel from its Marine Department for the rescue, recovery and investigation, over the Friday morning boat mishap which claimed about eight lives at Anam, in Anambra state, South-East Nigeria.
A statement issued by the authority indicates that the incident involved a passenger boat travelling from Idah in Kogi State to Onitsha in Anambra State between Thursday, January 4 and Friday, the 5th, while the accident occurred at about 7am.
The statement further reads that preliminary reports indicated that the wooden engine boat rammed into a snag on the water channel and capsized with about 50 passengers on board. From the records, eight persons were confirmed dead at the scene, while 38 others were rescued immediately.
While expressing regrets over the incident, NIWA pointed out that recovery efforts are ongoing and it will provide detailed information to the public as soon as the field officers report back to the headquarters.
It commiserates with the relatives of the deceased and prayed to God to rest their souls.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
