NIWA Sends Rescue Team For Missing Passengers On Capsized Boat In Kogi State
NIWA Sends Rescue Team For Missing Passengers On Capsized Boat In Kogi State
By Asuquo Nuwak
••• Sets up panel of investigation to ascertain the real cause of the accident.
The National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA has sent an emergency rescue team to search for missing passengers of merchant boat capsized in the water of Ebe community in Kupa South Local Government Area of Kogi State in the early hour of Friday, 29th November, 2024.
Investigation by NIWA has shown that the wooden boat which was moving to Katcha market in Niger State suddenly capsized due to poor visibility and overloading, meanwhile, there are no details of lives lost so far.
The wooden craft is reported to be operated by an unknown boat operator who moved with unsubstantiated number of passengers, from an abandoned jetty by 1.00 am, on Friday morning with the intention to beat NIWA’s tight surveillance on the waterways.
In order to unravel the cause of the accident, NIWA has set up an investigation panel to ascertain the real cause of the accident, the total number of passengers onboard, and the owner of the craft.
In the interim, the top management team of NIWA is leading and coordinating the rescue operations as well as making sure that the survivors of the boat mishap receive urgent medical attention.
According to the report, NIWA shall in due course, release more information after the investigation has been concluded.
NIWA Boss is quoted as saying that: “We are shocked by this incident despite all our efforts to sensitize Nigerians about safety measures on waterways. Not quite long, we unveiled the National Waterways Transportation Code, visited communities and stakeholders to make them key into our strategy to curb accidents on water, and discussed with state governors in Nigeria to partner with us in providing safe water crafts to help move people and goods safely across our waterways and now sadly, this happened. NIWA will investigate this accident and will prosecute the boat captain and owner for deliberate disobedience to the extant law on waterways.
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