The driver of a boat that capsized on Friday October 7 at Ogbaru in Anambra State says he had 48 passengers on board, and not 85 as was initially reported. The boat contained people trying to escape flooding capsized, and many occupants are feared dead. Several corpses were retrieved.
However, the driver’s report conflicts with a tweet by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, which confirmed that emergency authorities had confirmed 76 people had died.
Officials said that the passengers were members of the Ogbaru community in Anambra State, located in southeastern Nigeria.
The boat set sail from Onukwu Bridge, headed for Nkwo market, Ogbakuba, and capsized in the Umunnankwo community. The occupants of the boat were attempting to flee from rising flood waters. Residents of the area have been encouraged to leave, but many have ignored the directive. The most recent rise in floodwater triggered panic and caused many to jam-pack the boat, creating a dangerous situation.
The driver of the boat, Desmond Amaugo, briefed government officials about the accident, on Sunday, October 9.
Amaugo said the majority of the passengers on board were women and children trying to escape their flooded communities.
The Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, South-East, Thickman Tanimu, told the News Agency of Nigeria that it is very difficult to assess the situation because of the dangerously high waters. He explained that many residents were ignoring the warnings about flooding because of the expectation that the flood waters would recede. He suspects chaos ensued as the water rose, covering many houses to the rooftops. Seventy-nine deaths before the accident have already been attributed to the flooding.
Some reports say that 15 passengers were rescued, and seventy-six are still unaccounted for and assumed dead. Tanimu added that there are plans to utilize the navy and air force to create an airlift for those still trapped. “This will involve the air force and the navy so that we can get an aerial view of the affected areas to see people who are trapped and airlift them,” he said. “With the rising flood, airlifting is the only solution right now. Any boat that goes in there is likely to capsize because the flood has covered houses to roof level”.
The National Emergency Management Agency had warned residents as to move out of the area to safer locations. There is growing concern that many residents will continue to ignore the warnings, causing the death toll to rise.