From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Four bodies of victims of the boat mishap which occurred over the weekend, at Ayama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area have been found.
The boat conveying 15 passengers from Otuan community also in Southern Ijaw was said to have run into a barricade, due to poor visibility caused by bad weather.
Eight of the passengers wearing life jackets were said to have been rescued, while seven passengers, including two toddlers without life jackets drowned.
Sources in the community said local divers drafted to search for the bodies of the victims could not recover the bodies till they ended the search Sunday afternoon.
However, by Sunday night, the bodies of the female corps member, identified as Immaculate, from Rivers State and that of 70-year-old Chief Lucky Daniels were found floating close to the scene of the incident. The State Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union, Mr Ipigansi Ogoniba, confirmed that the union and the search teams were notified of bodies of the victims floating on the river close to the scene of the accident.
Ogoniba, who stated that bodies of those from the area had been handed over to their families for burial, said the bodies of the two toddlers were yet to be found.
He further disclosed that the authority of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) had been notified of the recovery of the remains of the deceased female corps member.
“The NYSC state coordinator also informed us that they have made arrangements for an ambulance to convey the deceased,” he said.
The son of the deceased Chief Daniels, Mr. Domo Timi, a journalist practising in the state, confirmed that while the body of his father was deposited at the Niger Delta Teaching Hospital, at Okolobiri, the remains of the corps member were deposited at the Federal Medical Centre.”