A survivor of the last week’s boat mishap on the Gelegele River in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, Mrs. Mabel Sule, on Wednesday narrated how she survived the accident alongside her one and half years old baby boy.
Recall that about eight persons were drowned at a boat mishap at Gelegele in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, after a faulty boat rammed into stationary oil barges belonging to an oil company operating in the area.
Mrs. Sule, who spoke to journalists, said that by her estimation, not fewer than eight passengers of the ill-fated boat drowned, adding that she was lucky to have survived the accident during which many others were injured.
According to the businesswoman, she and other 27 market women were onboard the boat enroute to Ekewan Market to sell their goods when the horrible boat mishap happened.
She added that as they moved out of the shore of Gelegele, the engine piloting the boat developed fault, explaining that huge tide swayed there faulty boat and slammed it against two barges stationed in the river which resulted to the boat capsizing and ramming under the barge.
According to her, she was carrying a one-and-half year baby when it happened, adding that she struggled to swim with her baby under the badge, hit her head against it for several times before she eventually swam out of the barge’s covering.
The 31-year-old woman who spoke in her vernacular said: “As we left the shore of the Gelegele River, our engine developed a fault, but as the driverwas trying to fix it, tide of the river was moving our boat, and suddenly our boat hit two badges that were stationed in the river, and we found ourselves under the barge inside the river.
“As the boat capsized, everyone started scampering for safety by swimming but unfortunately we were under the barges, so some persons couldn’t survived it as they were unable to swim out.
“I was carrying this one-and-half-year-old baby on my lap when the boat capsized and I found myself under the badge inside the river. So, I held the baby with my one hand and used the other hand to swim. But as I was swimming and trying to raise my head above the water, I hit my head against the barges repeatedly for like three times, so I went deep again and started swimming until I saw brightness of the sky while still deep in the river, that was when I raised my head. I thought my baby was already drowned, but fortunately, he survived.
Mrs. Sule lamented that she lost all her goods to the accident and was left with nothing, appealing to the government and other good spirited Nigerians to come to her assistance.
“I am left with nothing as I speak with you. Plantain worth over N200,000.00 that I was taking to Ekewan market to sell all perished in the river”, she bemoaned.
“I want the government of Edo State Government to help me so I can go back to my business. I am pleading to well to do Nigerians to help me. I need to feed , I need to feed my children.” Sule further pleaded.
