9 die in boat wreckage near Calabar

At least nine people died when a boat capsized off the Nigerian coast, but two survivors were rescued, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Tuesday.

The accident happened 40 nautical miles off the southeastern city of Calabar, said Yushau Shuaib.

“Nigerian rescuers have recovered nine bodies” from the boat, he said. “Two survivors have been taken to… Calabar. Rescue continues.”

Joseph Morris, an official with the Cross River State Emergency Services, said the nine bodies had been taken to Calabar from the scene of the accident.

“We took them to the mortuary. We were called yesterday to collect the corpses from the NPA (Nigerian Ports Authority) jetty in Calabar.”