Edo boat accident claims seven persons, 18 rescued

Seven persons have drowned as a boat carrying them capsized in the Gelegele River in the Ovia North East Local Government of Edo State.

The boat was said to have 28 passengers on board at the time of the accident on Friday. It was gathered that the boat rammed into oil barges that belong to a multi-national oil company.

Gelegele is host to Dubri multinational oil exploring company. It is about 35 kilometres away from Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The passenger boat with mainly market women and children on board was said to have parked at Gelegele community to dropped some passengers where it was discovered that the boat had ran out of fuel

“It was in the process of refuelling that the boat was pushed strong water current which forced the boat against the parked barges,” a witness said on Monday.

Other members of the community said the incident could have been avoided.

Some of the survivors were brought out from under the barges by the men of the marine police stationed in Gelegele community.

Vice Chairman of the Ovia South West, Blessing Perewari, who visited the scene of the incident Perewari said, “About 28 adults, including two pregnant women and three babies were in the boat. When they got to the Gelegele waterside there was this Dubri oil company barge that was parked there.

“The way the barges were parked caused obstruction on the waterway. So, this particular boat carrying 28 persons, after dropping two passengers tried to restart the boat but the engine failed to respond.

“And because of the high current of the river it now pushed the boat into the Dubri oil barges and it torpedoed under the barges making it difficult for the victims to come out. Some of them that knows how to swim manage to escape while others were trapped under the barges.

“With the help of the Marine Police and other residents of the community 18 of the passengers were rescued and seven died.

“The remains of the dead have been deposited at Time Hospital and Stella Obasanjo Hospital in Benin City.”

One of the rescue operation team and a member of the community, Joseph Gbale, also said, “Although there was carelessness on the part of the driver of the boat, the barges should not have been parked in a double manner thereby narrowing the waterway.”

The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor when contacted said he was in a meeting and promised to respond later.