At least 100 people died when boat carrying 133
people from south eastern Nigeria capsized off the coast, a doctor said on
Tuesday.
The boat left on Friday from the town of Oron, in Akwa-Ibom state, and was heading across the Gulf of Guinea to Gabon, in central Africa, when it capsized 40 nautical miles offshore, emergency services and traders said.
According to a medical doctor Dr Obi who was part of the rescue of the
victims at sea who spoke with CKN Nigeria last night said several of the 133
were dead at sea.
Hear him,
“Two people
were rescued from a boat taking 128 passengers to Gabon from oron plus 5 crew
members of the boat are all missing now except the two that were saved when the
boat sank off the coast of calabar 4 days ago.the two that survived clung to a
gas cylinder for 3 days before a rescue boat found them.Also 9 dead bodies so
far were recovered.the two survivors are currently receiving treatment in my
vessel offshore calabar and will be transported onshore tomorrow for further
check-up.The victims comprising of women.children and men,are people from
Nigeria,Togo and Benin Rep mainly.. 128 being smuggled to Gabon + 5 boat crew
members=133 - 2=131,9 dead bodies found so far,131-9 ,131-9=122 unaccounted for
yet”
David Akate, head of Cross Rivers emergency services, said he had no official death toll yet. Two known survivors were a young boy and a woman who had clung to a gas cylinder and were rescued by fishermen, he added.
Yushua Shuaib, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, said they could only confirm nine dead so far.
"They are mostly ... traders from the southeast who headed to Oron to board the wooden boat," said Ikechukwu Egwu, a marine transporter in the area.
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