Eleven perish in boat mishap
A boat travelling
from Creek Town in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State
to Calabar, the state capital capsized midway in its journey killing
all passengers on board. The 11 passengers were mostly women who were
conveying processed cassava (fufu) for sale.
Whereas 10 of the
corpses were picked up on the fateful day by local water divers, the
11th corpse of a lady is yet to be seen five days after the incident.
At the popular Volvo Market in Marina Beach, Calabar, the destination
of the unfortunate passengers, all the traders at the market were in
mourning mood when the news broke that the large size boat had capsized
and the goods they were expecting lost. The women almost on daily basis
transport foodstuff and other agricultural produce across the Calabar
River for sale in the Cross River State capital. It takes just 15
minutes to cross from either side and one and half hours on land using
an automobile.
Waiting in vain
A lady at the
market who gave her name as Atim told NEXT that they were awaiting the
arrival of their suppliers from Creek Town when suddenly a speed boat
showed up conveying the bad news which disorganised and sent all the
traders into mourning. “My brother, this is bad news for us. Each of us
here has a supplier of fufu and other food items from Creek Town. You
know Creek Town is a rural area.
They have various
foodstuff there which they ferry here for sale. This accident has
devastated all of us. These suppliers over the years have become like
our sisters and brothers. “We are feeling for them and the loved ones
they left behind. Let government investigate the cause of this accident
because this is one accident too many.”
The traders expressed shock at the frequent boat mishaps around that
area. “It’s like quarterly a boat on Calabar-Creek Town route must
capsize and kill all the passengers. Last year this time, the same
thing happened. We are confused”, she said. Some policemen at the
Marina police station confirmed the incident saying investigation into
its cause was on.
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