160 die in boat mishap? 9 bodies recovered, 2 survivors found - NEMA
OVER 160 passengers are feared dead in a boat mishap on Friday, about 40 nautical miles off the coast of Cross River State.
Nigerian Tribune learnt on Tuesday that the boat was carrying 168 passengers.
It was learnt that the passengers were travelling in a giant-sized wooden boat, the MV SONNY, from Oron in Akwa Ibom State, to Gabon, when the boat capsized at Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) waterways.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in a statement, said about nine corpses from the accident were deposited at the mortuary of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital on Tuesday, while two survivors were on admission at the hospital.
NEMA spokesperson, Yushau Shuaib, told the Nigerian Tribune that “the situation is still hazy, as nobody is sure of the number of people in the boat at the moment.”
Sources in Calabar said the passengers were mostly Igbo traders heading for Gabon and preferred to use the cheap transport means.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said to be coordinating the rescue efforts, declined comment over the matter.
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