Anambra Boat Mishap: NIWA Commiserates With Friends, Families of Deceased
By Richard Akintade
The leadership of the National Inland Waterways Authority(NIWA) has commiserated with the friends and families of the 8 passengers who lost their lives in the boat mishap which occurred in Umumu Anam, Anambra West LGA, Anambra State between 4th and 5th January 2024.
This is contained in a condolence message signed by the GM, Corporate Affairs, NIWA, Jibril Darda’u and made available to newsmen.
According to the release, the passenger boat carrying 50 passengers on board was travelling from Idah in Kogi state to Onitsha in Anambra state when the sad incident occurred.
The statement reads in part, “The National Inland Waterways Authority is aware that the sad incident involved a passenger boat travelling from Idah in Kogi state to Onitsha in Anambra state.
“Upon the receipt of the sad report, relevant personnel from the marine department were deployed for rescue, recovery, and proper investigation.
“Preliminary reports indicated that the wooden engine boat rammed into a snag on the water channel and capsised with about 50 passengers on board. From the records, 8 persons were confirmed dead at the scene, while 38 others were rescued immediately.
“The recovery efforts are ongoing and
the Authority will provide detailed information to the public as soon as the field officers report back to the headquarters.
“The Authority sincerely commiserates with the friends and families of the deceased and prayed to God to rest their souls.
“In the meantime, we want to reassure the general public that NIWA is doing everything possible to ensure safer inland waterways for the movement of people and goods across our inland waterways.”