76 Die In Anambra Boat Mishap

At least 76 persons have lost their lives when a boat carrying 85 passengers from Onukwu to Nkwo Ogbakuba capsized in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra state.

The Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, South-East, Mr Thickman Tanimu, told NAN in a telephone interview on Saturday in Awka that 85 persons had boarded a boat in an attempt to escape the rising water level but that the boat capsized on the way, leading to the death of 76 persons.

He lamented that it would be difficult to access the area due to the high level of water.

Tanimu explained that people refused to relocate in spite of the sensitization and warnings because they thought the current flooding situation was the usual flood water that would eventually recede.

See Also: Over 300 Killed By Flood In 2022 – NEMA DG

He added, “The report we are receiving is that as at yesterday (Friday), the flood level rose above the 2012 flood level by 11 per cent. What I suspected happened yesterday at Ogbaru, Anambra State, going by the report we received from the State Emergency Management Agency is that the water kept rising and the people were trapped.

“They decided to escape the rising water and 85 of them jam-packed inside the boat which capsized due to the rising flood. It is very unfortunate because the flood has covered many houses up to roof level. Out of the 85 persons, nine were found and the remaining 76 are nowhere to be found.

Tanimu said the agency was in talks with the military in Onitsha and Abuja to activate the Disaster Response Unit to airlift trapped residents in the affected communities.

Source: Punch