B*R*E*A*K*I*N*G NEWS! 168 Passengers Drowned in Boat Mishap.

 

  **45 corpses had been recovered and deposited at UCTH mortuary, Calabar.
**passengers were Igbo traders returning to Gabon, others were from Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers and Ondo states.

No fewer than 168 passengers on board a wooden boat travelling to Gabon are feared dead, throwing the water transportation industry in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states into deep mourning.No fewer than 168 passengers on board a wooden boat travelling to Gabon are feared dead, throwing the water transportation industry in Cross River and Akwa Ibom states into deep mourning.

The boat loaded in the early hours of Monday, March 18 at Oron Jetty beach in Akwa Ibom State with 168 persons on board, including crew members. It was learnt that the boat developed problems when it entered the international waters and could not withstand the stormy waves.

majority of the passengers were Igbo traders from the South-east who were returning to Gabon while the rest were from Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Rivers and Ondo states.

About 45 corpses had been recovered and deposited at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) mortuary while local divers from the two states were said to be searching for the remaining bodies.