Eight rescued as search continues for missing boat passengers in Rivers

Efforts to rescue survivors and locate victims of a boat collision in Rivers State intensified on Thursday, following a tragic incident in the Robertkiri waterways. The collision involved a tugboat, believed to be manned by security personnel, and a speedboat carrying over 15 passengers. The tugboat was reportedly attempting to rescue a 200,000-barrel oil vessel operated by the 'Ibeto Group' when the accident occurred.

The incident took place amid protests against the Ibeto Group's operations, which allegedly caused water pollution, unpaid debts to local vendors, and failure to pay royalties to host communities.

As of Wednesday, the state police confirmed that lives had been lost in the boat capsize, with the exact number of casualties yet to be determined. The community alleged that the Ibeto Group's activities were the root cause of the incident, as they allegedly polluted the environment, neglected local vendors, and failed to pay royalties to the host communities.

However, a source in the community, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that eight persons were rescued alive from the boat incident, but no bodies had been recovered by Wednesday night. The state police public relations officer, Blessing Agabe, stated that there was currently no new information regarding the incident.

The Ibeto Group, through its subsidiary 'Max Shipping Services Limited', denied any responsibility for the boat capsizing incident. The company clarified that the vessel, 'Anambra Basin FSO', was hired to Menal Technical Services Limited under a Marine Equipment Hire Agreement. The company further stated that the vessel was used for retrieving crude oil previously stored in it, which was discharged before the demobilisation effort.

They emphasized that their chairman was not directly responsible for the incident and that the vessel's recovery operation was separate from any involvement in the underlying oilfield activities.