Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in Bayelsa State has said that no death was recorded after a local boat – MV Tari conveying goods and passengers from Yenagoa to communities in Brass local government area capsized on Wednesday along the Yenagoa-Brass waterways near Okoroma in Nembe local government area.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa by the assistant secretary of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Okpoama unit, Tari Stanley Dikuma.
LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that the unfortunate incident occurred at about 1:30pm at a sharp bend along the waterways and it has also been reported that a similar boat MV Believer sank near Okoroma in 2022.
Dikuma who was part of the rescue operation at the site of the mishap said no life was lost but goods worth millions of Naira was lost, adding that some items have been rescued.
“So far, we have not recorded any casualty but we have salvaged a lot of items with speed boats, badge and open boats”, he said.
The local boat popularly known as Cameroon boat among the Ijaws is usually used by indigenes and non-indigenes doing business in the riverine communities to convey their goods.
While responding to the unfortunate incident, Ayebango Micah from Brass, said overloading of goods is the main cause of this kind of sinking of the local boats.
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