Calabar, Kwara boat disasters - Wetin to sabi if you no wan be victim of boat accident

Police for Cross River State recover di deadibodi of three pipo wey bin dey missing for di boat mishap wey happen for Calabar, di state capital on Saturday.

Dis na di second successive boat accident for Nigeria.

Di accident happun just two weeks afta anoda boat capsize for Patigi local goment area of Kwara state. Na over 100 pipo die for dat accident.

Police for Kwara State, inside North central Nigeria say emergency workers and local residents rescue 144 pipo from di river Niger afta boat wey carry wedding guests capsize.

For di latest incident Police tok tok pesin for Cross River Irene Ugbo confam to BBC Pidgin say dem don transfer di deadibodi dem - two males and one female from di Police Marine Base to mortuary.

She say 11 out of di 14 passengers bin dey rescued alive wen di boat accident happen on Saturday 24 June 2023 and divers bin don dey search for dem till dem recover di remaining three pipo on Monday morning.

How boat accidents dey happen?

Na different reasons dey make pipo dey travel through di waterways. E get im own means of transportation just like air, road and train.

Doz wey dey use di waterways pass na pipo wey dey live for Islands - becos na dia only means of transportation.

For odas e fit be for social or business activities or even adventures, Benjamin Kennedy a safety expert and swimming coach for Port Harcourt tok.

For di Cross River tragedy tori be say di boat capsize sake of high waves for di Calabar Channel.

Di victims na medical students wey bin come Calabar for di 2023 Nigeria Medical Association Health Week wey di Medical School for Calabar dey host.

In di course of dia social activities, dem plan to go to Marina Resort and visit di Slave History Museum.

Di Marina Resort get di popular Slave History Museum for Calabar and na one of di ogbonge tourist site for di state wey dey attract visitors and holiday makers.

Few of di students decide to go on a boat cruise and na wen dem dey come back from di boat cruise to move to Tinapa for dia normal social ride, di boat capsize.

Dis one dey similar to di one wey happun for Kwara wia majority of di passsengers na wedding guests wey dey return from Niger state.

Cases of boat accidents for Nigeria

Nigeria na one African kontri wey dey face boat accidents plenty sake of overloading.

For June 2023 one passenger boat wey carry up to 300 pipo capsize for Patigi local goment area of Kwara state.

Okasanmi Ajayi, tok tok pesin for Kwara state Police command say part of di boat engine side collapse, wey allow water flood di boat, wey make am capsize.

“Among di casualties na pipo from Ebu Village wit 61 casualties, Dzakan Village wit 38, Kpada Village wit 4 dead, and three oda casualties from Kogi State, putting di total number of casualties at 106 and di total number of rescued pipo at about 144,” e tok.

For October 2022

10 pipo die afta one jetty wey suppose carry 48 pipo but carry 85 instead, for Onitsha, Anambra state.

Di boat accident happun on Friday 7 October.

"Tens of pipo still dey unaccounted for, although search still dey go on,” Christian Aburime di tok-tok pesin to di govnor tok.

One official of National Emergency Management Agency bin tell Reuters say di boat bin carry 85 pipo.

Flood destroy di major road wey link eight communities to di rest of Ogbaru local government area.

Dat na why residents dia bin travel by boat.

For May 2021

plenti pipo miss and odas die afta di boat wey dem dey travel wit sink inside river for Kebbi state, north west Nigeria.

Di passengers wey many say na women and children, wit a few men bin dey travel from neighbouring Niger State wen di boat capsize.

Authorities for Kebbi tell BBC say divers and emergency agencies dey currently work to try to save as many of di passengers.

Former president Muhammadu Buhari bin describe di accident as "devastating", as im offer e condolence to di families of di victims.

2021 for Kano state for North of di kontri face tragedy for Bagwai river wen 29 pipo die for afta boat capsize due to overload.

Safety tips before traveling on waterways

Problem of overloading, night sailing and no life jackets na some of di tins pipo dey take for granted wen dem travel through water.

"Always dey safety conscious weneva pesin dey embark on travel on water."

Dis na wetin Coach Benjamin Kennedy a safety expert and swimming coach for Port Harcourt tok.

Wit recent cases of boat accidents wey don lead to loss of lives, e give some tips wey go help pesin wey wan travel by water or find imsef for boat or ship wey dey sink, Coach Kennedy add.

Make sure say di boat you wan enter dey in good condition; e no dey leak or get engine e problems or any obvious defect.

Check di weather condition. E no good to go on sea trip wen di weather dey bad like wen rain wan fall or storm dey as e fit cause turbulence wey fit capsize di boat.

Avoid overloading both wit passengers and wit cargoes becos too much load for di boat fit capsize am.

All passengers must wear life jackets. Dis wan dey very, very important for evri peson wey dey travel by water. If di boat operators no fit provide life jackets for evri passengers, e dey advisable say di passenger suppose get im personal own especially if na route wey e dey travel frequently. Di life jacket go jeep am afloat in case di boat capsize or get accident.

Wetin to do for sinking boat

Kennedy say e dey important for evribodi to learn how to swim becos dat na fundamental life skill.

But if pesin no sabi swim, e dey very important say dat pesin get and properly wear di life jacket aytime e dey travel on water.

Incase pesin dey for boat wey dey sink, Coach Kennedy give di following advise;

Look for di lifebuoy wey dey for di boat or ship and hold on to am as e go keep pesin afloat.

If lifebuoy no dey, look for anytin wey dey float like jerrycan or anytin wey dey float as e go keep you afloat until help come.

If you wear life jacket, try to dey calm so you no go panic do somtin else.

For pipo wey sabi swim, Coach Kennedy say if di pesin sabi swim very well and fit rescue odas, e advise am to move away from di crowd to avoid confusion as many pipo dey panic and want to cling on to each oda.

“So move aside and assess di situation and if e fit rescue odas, try rescue di ones e fit.”

But for doz wey no sabi swim, e advise am to hold onto di lifebuoy or floating tin and try to dey calm and composed until help come.