Nine rescued after speedboat capsizes in southeastern Nigeria

Personnel on board a Nigerian Navy vessel came to the aid of the occupants of a speedboat and successfully rescued them after their vessel capsized in Bayelsa state in southeastern Nigeria.

Reports stated that the speedboat capsized near Agbura after it collided with a submerged object while en route to Bayelsa's capital city of Yenagoa on the evening (local time) of December 31 (the incident was only disclosed to the Nigerian press by the country's authorities on Tuesday, January 7).

All nine of the speedboat's occupants were thrown overboard but were safely pulled out of the water.

Some of the survivors suffered minor injuries and were given first aid at the scene by the responding navy crews. They were later brought to hospital in Yenagoa.

Eight of the speedboat's occupants were police officers. Some of the officers' personal weapons that were also on the boat ended up in the water following the capsizing and were later recovered.

Navy personnel have since identified and marked the location of the submerged wreck to warn other vessels that are also passing through the area.