The Nigerian Navy has rescued no fewer than 250 passengers from drowning after a boat hit a wreckage at Buguma Creek in the Asari-Toru area of Rivers State.
MV Precious Emmanual, a commercial double-decker wooden boat, was conveying passengers and goods worth millions of naira when it hit the wreckage.
The Commander of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Commodore Desmond Igbo, disclosed this on Monday, April 29, 2024.
Igbo, who led journalists to the accident scene at Buguma, confirmed that no life was lost.
He said naval patrol boats responded to a distress call at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday to carry out the search and rescue operation.
“We mobilised personnel for a search and rescue mission. Thanks to our swift response and God’s intervention, there were no casualties,” he said.
Igbo stated that apart from combating oil theft and maritime crimes, the navy was also committed to protecting lives and property.
Woman jumps into river from moving boat in Lagos
He emphasised the need for waterway travellers to be provided life jackets during their journey.
The commander urged the Rivers State Government to establish a sea search and rescue unit to prevent casualties in boat accidents.
Also speaking, the boat captain, Prosper Isokari, expressed gratitude thanked the navy for the prompt response and confirmed that all passengers were rescued without casualties.
Isokari said the boat collided with a wreckage, causing it to puncture and sink.
He said: “We were travelling from Sangana, Brass in Bayelsa State to Nembe Jetty in Port Harcourt when a sudden strong wind and tide pushed our boat into wreckage and punctured it.
“The navy arrived immediately after receiving a distress call, moved into our boat, and rescued all the passengers from the sinking boat.”
One of the rescued passengers, Samuel Ikpe, said he lost over N1.5 million worth of goods in the incident.
He expressed worries that most passengers who use that route lacked the culture of using life jackets.
“Most passengers do not wear life jackets, we strongly believe that the large double decker boat is unsinkable but we were wrong,” Ikpe said.
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