No fewer than five people have lost their lives, while 20 others are still missing following a head-on collision of two boats alongside the waterways in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, PUNCH Metro learnt on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the gory incident which occurred on Monday evening involved speedboats carrying passengers returning from a burial ceremony.
One of the locals who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity attributed the boat collision to poor visibility.
He said, “The incident is an unfortunate one. It involved two speedboats carrying passengers who attended a burial ceremony. Poor visibility on the waterways caused the head-on collision.”
It was also gathered that most of the passengers were not wearing life jackets when the collision occurred.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, while confirming the boat accident stated that “six survivors who were rescued with injuries are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Warri.”
“This is a tragic accident, and we are working with marine units and local divers to locate the missing passengers,” the PPRO stated.
Also commenting on the incident, a resident who gave his name as Emmanuel Okoro, described the scene as “chaotic.”
According to him, “people were screaming for help.
“Some managed to swim ashore, but many others disappeared beneath the water”, he added.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are ongoing as authorities and local volunteers searched for the missing victims.
Efforts made to get the reaction of the National Emergency Management Authority proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
