Personnel of the Nigerian Navy have rescued over 250 passengers onboard a capsized boat in Rivers State. In a statement on Tuesday, the Navy’s Director of Information, Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, said the boat was approaching Rivers State when it encountered stormy waters and collided with a rock.
The three-deck wooden boat was said to have departed from a local market in the Sangana area of Bayelsa State around 10 pm on April 28, 2024.
Adams-Aliu noted that the boat was overloaded, lacked any life-saving equipment onboard, and none of its passengers were wearing life jackets.
He noted that no lives were lost in the incident due to the prompt response of its personnel. Adams-Aliu reiterated the importance of lifejackets, life buoys, and other life-saving equipment to local maritime operators.