6 Perish In Opobo Boat Mishap

Not fewer than six lives were lost in a mid-day boat mishap along Opobo/Kono on Sunday afternoon.

Among the six people are four toddlers, which reliable source said were heading for holiday from Epellema, a satellite community in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.

The Tide was reliably informed that the kids in company of their mother were on a holiday trip to Port Harcourt when they met their untimely death on that fateful Sunday afternoon.

Few minutes after leaving Epellema, The Tide learnt that the boat had stopped at Opobo Town to pick another passenger, a male, who also got drowned in the mishap.

Our correspondent reported that the speed boat had almost gotten to its destination, while negotiating the harrowing Kono creeks when it plunged into the water, emptying  its passengers who were covered with tarpaulin due to heavy rain.

The mother of the four kids was said to have swum to safety while her children all got drowned including a male passenger who joined the boat at Opobo town.

The Tide gathered that the mother of the four kids had earlier lost her son  in another tragedy which struck her, bringing to five the number of her children lost on sea.

As at yesterday, The Tide source at Opobo town related that the ancient kingdom had been thrown into mourning following the recovery of the dead bodies.

The recovered corpses it was gathered were buried yesterday amid wailing and pains.

It would be recalled that the local government authorities had banned boats from making voyage without life jackets due to incessant boat mishaps along the route.

The authorities equally banned boats from leaving the town until  6.o’clock in the morning to enable boat drivers have clear vision while driving.