Two die in Bayelsa boat accident

Two persons have been confirmed dead in a tragic boat accident in the creek of Bayelsa State.

The loss of the victims, it was learned, occurred on Tuesday at about 4.30 pm when a speedboat collided with a fishing boat at the Akede community waterfront in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

It was learned that the speedboat was conveying passengers from Anyama Ijaw and heading to the deep creeks of Southern Ijaw when tragedy struck.

A community source told reporters on Wednesday that two persons in the fishing boat, a woman and a girl, drowned.

The source added that, at the time of the incident, there was a network challenge in the area, thereby obstructing communication.

According to him, a speed boat powered by a 115HP engine was travelling from Anyama Ijaw towards Lubia and Foropa communities when it collided with a fishing boat at the Akede community waterfront.

“A woman and a young girl on board the fishing boat tragically drowned,” he said, adding that all the passengers in the speedboat survived the accident.

The Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in Bayelsa State, Comrade Ogoniba Ipigansi, confirmed the incident, saying two persons lost their lives.

Comrade Ipigansi stated that the union was alerted to the accident, and the communication challenge hampered their rescue operations, as the network was challenging in the area.

A spokesman for the state police command, DSP Musa Muhammad, also confirmed the incident.

He said the speedboat driver was in police custody for questioning.