A survivor of the boat mishap on the Gelegele River in Ovia North-East local government area of Edo State, Mrs Mabel Sule, has narrated how she survived the accident with her one-and-half year-old baby boy.
Mrs Sule told journalists yesterday that by her estimation, eight passengers of the ill-fated trip drowned and several others were injured.
According to her, she and 27 women (traders) were aboard the boat enroute to Ekewan Market to sell their goods when the accident happened last Thursday.
She said as they moved out of the shore of Gelegele, the engine of the boat developed a fault, adding that a huge tide swayed the boat and slammed it against two badges stationed in the river which resulted in its capsizing and going under the badge.
Mrs Sule said she was carrying her one-and-a-half-year-old baby when it happened, adding that she struggled to swim with her child under the badge, hit her head against it several times before she eventually swam out of the badge’s covering.
The 31-year-old woman who spoke in her dialect said, “As we left the shore of the Gelegele River, our engine developed a fault, but as the driver was trying to fix it, tide of the river was moving our boat, and suddenly our boat hit two badges that were stationed in the river, and we found ourselves under the badge inside the river.
“As the boat capsized, everyone started scampering for safety by swimming but unfortunately we were under the badge, so some people couldn’t survive it as they were unable to swim out.
“I was carrying this one-and-half-year-old baby on my lap when the boat capsized and I found myself under the badge inside the river. So, I held the baby with my one hand and used the other hand to swim.
“But as I was swimming and trying to raise my head above the water, I hit my head against the badge repeatedly for like three times, so I went deep again and started swimming until I saw the brightness of the sky while still deep in the river, that was when I raised my head. I thought my baby had already drowned, but fortunately, he survived.”
Mrs Sule lamented that she lost all her goods to the accident and was left with nothing, appealing to the government and other good spirited Nigerians to come to her assistance.
“I am left with nothing as I speak with you. Plantain worth over N200,000 that I was taking to Ekewan market to sell all perished in the river”, she bemoaned.
“I want the Edo State Government to help me so that I can go back to my business. I am pleading with Nigerians to help me. I need to feed, I need to feed my children,” Sule further pleaded.
