166 Passengers Feared Dead After Their Boat Sunk Off The Coast Of Nigeria Akwa-Ibom

No fewer than 168 people are feared dead after their wooden ferry sailing to Gabon from a village in Cross River, Akwa-ibom state, turned over from stormy waves. Relatives of the deceased have been thrown into despair as news arrived of the tragic event. So far UCTH mortuary have confirmed 45 corpses being deposited there with more on the way.
The boat made sail for Gabon in the early hours of Monday morning from Jetty Beach with 168 people on board and developed problems after sailing straight into stormy weather just after entering international waters and sadly, the wooden boat was no match for mother nature, 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. There is thought to be only 2 survivors who alerted the authorities to the tragic event. Accidents like this are common in Nigeria where there is little or no safety regulations.Some 35 people taking this route from Nigeria to Gabon died after their boat sunk off the coast of Cameroon in 2008.