Nigerian Navy rescues 99 people following boat mishap in Rivers state

The Nigerian Navy successfully rescued 99 people following a collision between two vessels in Nigeria's Rivers state on Tuesday, April 29.

The incident occurred at around 10:55 local time on Tuesday when a barge and a market boat laden with passengers collided with each other on the Bukuma River near the Rivers village of Tuma.

The market boat suffered significant damage due to the force of the impact, and its occupants all jumped into the water to escape injury.

The navy deployed four gunboats and personnel to the area to conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations. Despite challenging conditions, the SAR effort resulted in the successful recovery of all 99 of the market boat's passengers.

Commodore Cajethan Aniaku, commander of the NNS Pathfinder navy base in nearby Port Harcourt, said the incident did not result in any injuries among the survivors and that the goods that were on the market boat have been successfully recovered.