Eyewitness said the accident occurred when two passenger boats collided along the route.
Spokesperson of the command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the accident in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, saying 11 passengers from the commercial boat died in the accident. She debunked speculations that 20 people died.
“The accident occurred on Jan. 9 at about 9:15 a.m. when a local wooden boat powered by a single 25HP Yamaha engine carrying passengers sank.
“The boat carried the passengers from Ukwa community in Ngo town in Andoni Local Government Area en route to Bonny Island when it sank while approaching Amariaria community in Finima town.
“Acting on the strength of the information we received, the officer in charge of Marine, SP Ogarachi Chima, moved to the scene of the incident and discovered 11 passengers feared drowned,” she said.
Iringe-Koko said the police had launched a full investigation to ascertain the cause of the mishap.
Earlier, Chairman of Andoni Local Government Council, said in a statement that 20 persons drowned in the accident.
According to him, the accident involved two Andoni/Bonny-bound boats that sank in the middle of the turbulent Andoni Sea.
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He said: “We received, with rude shock and deep pain, a disturbing report that over 20 persons from Andoni are feared dead in a mishap involving two boats.
“Upon receiving the sad development, we immediately dispatched our team to join the first responders on a rescue mission at the scene of the incident.
“We are closely monitoring the situation to offer further support, especially to give the survivors necessary medical attention and recover the remains of the dead from the sea,” Awortu stated.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has expressed deepest grief over the unfortunate boat mishap that happened on the Andoni-Bonny Sea route on Tuesday, which led to the death of many.
In a statement by his media aide, Boniface Onyedi, the governor sympathised with the affected families of the dead and all the victims of the boat mishap.
The governor assured that his administration would continue to work to ensure that traveling on the sea routes becomes safer for travellers and riverine community dwellers.
“I commiserate and condole with families of the victims of the boat accident that led to the loss of lives, and near death experienced by our brothers and sisters that were involved in the boat mishap.
“It is indeed a very unfortunate and sad incident, and we pray that God shall give all of them the strength to bear the loss and speedy recovery to those who survived.
“As a government, we will continue to work to ensure that such threats against safe traveling on our sea routes are tackled. “
