Anambra community boat mishap could have been averted if safety guidelines were adhered to, says NIWA
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has observed that the boat mishap in which about 10 people died at Umunnakwo, Ogbaru Council of Anambra State, last week, could have been averted if basic safety guidelines of wearing life jackets and avoiding overloading, amongst other safety rules, were adhered to.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, NIWA, Jibril Darda’u, who expressed shock and sadness over the incident, lamented, to his dismay, that it was only one of the passengers on board, who wore life jacket and was saved.
In a statement, yesterday, entitled, ‘Boat Mishap in Anambra State,’ Darda’u said the accident came to NIWA as a surprise, because the Onitsha Area Office had countlessly carried out sensitisation programmes on importance of the use of life jackets, amongst other safety guidelines.
He explained that NIWA has stationed personnel in all of its area offices across the federation, who are on daily patrol of waterways for quick response to emergencies, following the rising level of water, which is causing flooding in parts of the country.
The statement reads in part: “It is with shock and sadness that NIWA commiserates with the people and government of Anambra over recent boat mishaps, which killed 10 people in Umunnakwo.”
“The boat mishap, which was said to have been caused by mechanical and human error, could have been averted if basic safety guidelines of wearing life jackets and avoiding overloading, amongst other safety rules, were adhered to.
“According to the report from our Onitsha Area Office, at about 12:30 p.m. on October 7, 2022, it was revealed that the wooden engine boat, after it has loaded 48 passengers, left for its destination; but at a point, the engine developed a mechanical fault and could not start again.
“All efforts by the captain of the boat to restart the engine was unsuccessful. As a result, the wave of the river started to pull the boat backwards towards the bridge linking Umunnakwo/Ossomala.”
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