Tragic Boat Accident in Rivers: Three Lose Lives, 19 Rescued

A passenger boat that was traveling from Port Harcourt to Bonny in the Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State overturned on Sunday night, resulting in the verified deaths of three individuals, including a toddler.

At around 5 p.m., it was discovered that a storm had caused the catastrophe at a location known as “Yellow Platform,” which is close to Bonny Island.

According to reports, the vessel carried 22 people from Port Harcourt’s Bonny/Nembe/Bille Waterfront Jetty; however, three of them perished when the storm caused the vessel to capsize.

Grace Iringe-Koko, the state police command spokesperson, verified the occurrence over the phone to our correspondent Monday afternoon and called it a sad one.
“Unfortunately, we lost three people out of the 22 people on board,” Iringe-Koko said. The girl’s body was eventually found after two of the bodies were initially found.

The fact that 19 passengers were saved is heartbreaking. The boat overturned at the Yellow Platform in Bonny while they were traveling from Port Harcourt to Bonny Island. The investigation is still going on.

Israel Pepple, the Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in the Rivers Commercial District, also spoke and reaffirmed the police’s conclusion that a windstorm was the cause of the tragedy.

“Yes,” Pepple answered, “that is true. Yesterday (Sunday), a boat disaster occurred. Two adult males and a girl were among the people we lost. Their remains had been found, and the boat had departed Port Harcourt on its way to Bonny.

Authorities from the Bonny Local Government have expressed their condolences to the families who have lost a loved one.

In a statement released on Monday and signed by the council’s secretary, John Gabriel-Pepple, Bonny LGA Chairman Anengi Claude-Wilcox expressed her profound sadness over the occurrence.

Part of the statement says, “The tragic boat crash that happened on the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route on Sunday, January 19, 2025, and claimed the lives of two adults and a toddler deeply saddens the Bonny Local Government Council.”

The sad accident that lost three lives was triggered by a rapid spike in the oceanic storm, according to preliminary results. Nineteen survivors were taken for prompt medical assistance at the expense of the Bonny Local Government.

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“We offer the victims’ families, friends, and loved ones our deepest sympathies. May God give you the courage and resilience to endure this irreversible loss.

According to him, the council prayed for the deceased souls’ rest and joined in their sorrow and suffering.

Although she cautioned against traveling in choppy conditions, Claude-Wilcox stated that the council was looking into a passenger boat that was there at the scene but declined to help the victims.

“Unfortunately, information that reached the council indicated that a passenger boat had arrived at the scene of the incident but had refused to stop to rescue the victims as they were fighting for their lives on the sea,” the statement continued.

“The council secretary should be contacted by anyone with pertinent information regarding the specific boat driver. In order to prevent a recurrence, the Bonny Local Government Council recommends passengers to be weather-aware and to rigorously follow the passenger ferry safety regulations.

According to reports, worried Bonny Island residents have persisted in urging the appropriate authorities to improve safety precautions for commuters using the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route and to force the contractor constructing the Bodo-Bonny Road to accelerate work in order to guarantee its early completion.