A survivor of last week’s boat mishap on the Gelegele River in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, Mrs Mabel Sule, narrated on Wednesday how she survived the accident alongside her one-and-a-half-year-old baby boy.
Mrs Sule, who spoke to journalists, said that, by her estimation, not fewer than eight passengers on the ill-fated board drowned, adding that she was lucky to have survived the accident during which many others were injured.
According to the businesswoman, she and the other 27 market women were onboard the boat en route 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 a fault, explaining that a huge tide swayed the faulty boat and slammed it against two badges stationed in the river, which resulted in the boat capsizing and ramming under the badge.
According to her, she was carrying a one-and-a-half-year-old baby when it happened, adding that she struggled to swim with her baby under the badge and hit her head against it several times before she eventually swam out of the badge’s covering.
The 31-year-old woman who spoke in her dialect said: “As we left the shore of the Gelegele River, our engine developed a fault, but as the driver was trying to fix it, the 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 badge inside the river.
“As the boat capsized, everyone started scampering for safety by swimming, but unfortunately we were under the badge, so some people couldn’t survive it as they were unable to swim out.
“I was carrying this one-and-a-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 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 badge repeatedly, like three times, so I went deep again and started swimming until I saw the brightness of the sky while still deep in the river. That was when I raised my head. I thought my baby was already drowning, but fortunately, he survived.
Mrs Sule lamented that she lost all her goods in 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. Plantains 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 to help me so I can go back to my business. I am pleading with Nigerians to help me. I need to feed my children. I need to feed my children.” Sule further pleaded.
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