Three children have tragically lost their lives after a passenger boat capsized in Bayelsa State. The incident occurred when a commercial wooden boat transporting passengers from Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to Yenagoa, the state capital, overturned at Ikebiri-1 community.
According to reports, the accident happened early on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, around 1:00 a.m. Local divers from the Ikebiri community recovered the bodies of the deceased children, two males and one female, aged between six and 15 years. The remains have been transported back to Azuzuama community.
A former Chairman of the Maritime Union Workers in Bayelsa State, Ipigansi Ogoniba, confirmed the incident. He stated that divers from Yenagoa have been dispatched to the scene, and the union is awaiting a full report. Ogoniba noted that the union has not yet received details about the number of casualties or the total number of passengers on board, as the boat did not depart from Yenagoa.
Investigations suggest that the accident may have been caused by overloading and a malfunctioning pumping machine that was meant to remove water from the boat. The tragic event has once again highlighted the dangers of river transportation in the region, where many rely on boats for travel due to the area's extensive waterways.
