At least 20 persons have reportedly died in a boat mishap which occured in Rivers State on Tuesday night.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Andoni waterways in Andoni Local Government Area of the State when two passenger boats heading for Bonny, a neighbouring coastal council area, capsized.
Erastus Awortu, the chairman of Andoni LGA, who confirmed the development in a statement, expressed rude shock and condoled the families and communities of the victims.
The statement reads in part, “We received with rude shock and deep pain a disturbing report that over 20 persons from Andoni are feared dead in boat mishap involving two Andoni/Bonny-bound boats which occurred within the Andoni waterways on Tuesday January, 9, 2024.
“Upon receiving the sad development, we immediately dispatched our team to join the first responders on rescue mission at the scene of the incident in a bid to salvage the situation.
“We are closely monitoring the situation to offer further support, especially to give the survivors necessary medical attention and recover the remains of the dead from the sea.”
