17 Perish In Boat Mishap

The bodies of seven women who drowned following a boat tragedy on election day have been recovered in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Southsouth Nigeria.

The victims were among 17 people that drowned when the boat conveying them capsized on the high sea.
The villagers recovered their bodies after a boat from Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River state sank after tempestuous winds in the Calabar River on the eve of the governorship election.
Rescue efforts are still in progress to fish out the remaining women from the river.
“The women attended service at the Land Deliverance Bible Ministries in Creek Town during Easter Sunday and were returning to Calabar on Monday when the incident happened,” Okon Ekpeita told P.M. NEWS at the Creek Town boat park in Calabar.

The victims, who are mostly women, could not swim while the boat operator and his assistant swam ashore, leaving the women to their fate.

Efforts by some people at the Creek Town beach to pull a boat to rescue the victims were abortive as they had already been swept far into the sea.

The recoverd bodies have been deposited in the mortuary of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, in Calabar.

Another source who gave his name as Honesty said one of the deceased, a community leader from Ibonda near Creek Town was in the same boat to lead the others to the church convention at Creek Town.

Officials of the Odukpani Local Government Council have confirmed the accident and expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased.

By Emma Una/ Calabar