No fewer than 23 victims of the boat mishap that occurred along Ngbuodohia-Rumuolumeni waterway in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State Tuesday night have been given a mass burial near the scene of the accident.
LEADERSHIP gathered that those buried in the mass grave, including two pregnant women and a small child, were those whose identities could not be ascertained.
It was further gathered that decision to give the victims a mass burial was reached after a meeting involving the state government, the Obio/Akpor LGA and the state police command.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State government has assured that it will launch an investigation into the remote and immediate cause of the boat mishap that claimed no fewer than 30 lives.
The commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, who announced this when he visited the scene of the accident, said the main aim of the investigation was to prevent reoccurrence of such ugly incident in future.
Parker said; “These people are our people, these people contribute in one way or the other to the economic development of the state.
What we will do is to look into the remote and immediate causes of the mishap to avoid future reoccurrence.”
Also speaking at the scene of the accident, chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA, Prince Timothy Nsirim, said the council will purchase two new speed boats that will be ferrying passengers between Ngbuodohia-Rumuolumeni and Agip waterfront in Port Harcourt.
It was gathered that the boat, which had about 40 passengers on board took, off from Eagle Island in Port Harcourt and was moving towards Rumuolumeni axis when it capsized at about 11.00 pm.
An eyewitness, who spoke on? condition of anonymity told LEADERSHIP that majority of the victims were traders who ply their trade in Port Harcourt and return to the community at the end of each day.