Disaster: BIR rescues 37 from a boatwreck

Two persons have been found dead while five other people reported missing off the coast of Mukumu when a boat carrying 44 people sank on the way to Nigeria on Sunday May, 31, 2015.

The passengers who were of both Cameroonian and Nigerian nationalities were mostly traders and boarded the boat at Ekondo Titi. The fragile skiff was overloaded with goods and passengers causing the boat to sink.

It took the timely intervention of BIR and the staff of Addax Petroleum who were first alerted about the capsized boat. BIR immediately called for reinforcements to make the rescue quicker.

The team succeeded in rescuing 37 out of the 44 passengers. They were immediately transported to Limbé hospital. The two deceased passengers who drowned were sent to the morgue and the search for the missing five people since Sunday afternoon has proved futile.

According to the officials investigating the incident, the cause of the sinking could be attributed to the unstable water and the overloaded boat. They also indicated that the passengers on board were not wearing life jackets.