Two persons including a student of the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), Okerenkoko, in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State have drowned in the Warri river.

The student was simply identified as Precious, while the other victim was identified as a caterer attached to the school.

They reportedly drowned during a boat mishap on Friday in Warri river.

Sources said the incident occurred when the victims, as well as other passengers, including students, were sailing on a speedboat to the Gbaramatu vommunity.

The students reportedly boarded the private boat against the school policy on how students should exit the campus by boat.

A survivor of the boat mishap revealed that some passengers did not wear life jackets and lack swimming skills.

The bodies of the victims were later recovered by local divers including that of a student said to be an Ijaw indigene who was buried by his family on Friday evening.

The remains of the caterer were deposited at the Central Hospital, Warri.

Meanwhile, the boat driver is said to have been arrested by operatives of the Marine Police.

“They boarded a private boat against the school rule that students and staff should only make use of school-owned boats and any other provided by management to ferry students to Warri.

“It was on their way going that the boat capsized. Unfortunately, one of our students and caterer drowned in the process.

“We don’t know exactly what happened but the boat driver is already answering questions from police. The school has never recorded a case of boat mishap since we commenced academic activities through our boats”, a school official told journalists on Sunday.

The Delta Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, identifying the victims as a male and a female.

An official of the Warri Boat Driver Union, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, however, disclosed that some of the commercial boat drivers usually overload their boats beyond their capacities, the reason for some boat mishaps.

(Nigerian Tribune)

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