Driver: Capsized Anambra boat had 48 passengers not 85

The driver of the boat that capsized at Ogbaru in Anambra State on Friday, Desmond Amugo, says he had 48 passengers on board and not 85 passengers as being reported.

Amugo said this on Sunday at Atani, headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area while briefing government officials on the circumstances that led to the accident.

Nine passengers have been seen alive, while 20 corpses have been recovered so far from the accident. 10 of the corpses were recovered on Sunday.

The driver said majority of the passengers he had on board were women and children trying to escape from their flooded communities.

Amugo disclosed that he sailed into a heavy wave which affected the smooth operation of the boat and resulted in it hitting one of the pillars supporting the Umunnakwe/Ossomala Bridge.

He said his spirited efforts to manoeuvre away from danger were unsuccessful as he lost control of the boat before it capsized.

The driver added that some of the women had besieged his house in the early hours of Friday and persuaded him to ferry them to Ogbakuba, another location that was not submerged by flood.

Family members who identified some of the corpses were seen lamenting their losses.

One of them, Bernard Achonu, said he lost his wife and three children aged between six years and two years.

“My wife and the children were moving to a safe place because our house was already submerged,” he said.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Paul Odenigbo, said the search for more victims was still on going.

Odenigbo stated that only nine persons survived the accident, adding that about 20 corpses have been recovered so far.

The Star

Segun Ojo