ALLEN HARRY
No fewer than ten people lost their lives on Saturday when a landing jetty collapsed in the Isaka community, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The landing jetty has been in a state of disrepair for many years until the Nyesom Wike administration awarded the contract for its repairs about two years ago.
However, since then, work on the jetty has not commenced fuelling speculations that the contractor was yet to be mobilised to the site.
According to some eyewitnesses, many of the victims were waiting to board a speed boat from the community to Port Harcourt before the incident occurred.
Most of the victims of the incident had attended a burial in the area and were waiting for speed boats to ferry them back before they met their untimely death.
An indigene of the community who gave his name as Tamunoemi Iyo said the jetty caved in because of the pressure arising from the number of people who were standing on it.
He said: “The people were standing on the jetty waiting for boats to come and pick and ferry them to Port Harcourt. While they were waiting the pressure on the jetty made it cave in and only few were rescued. About 10 people may have died. It could even be more.
“The jetty has been weak and I remember the governor awarded the contract for its rehabilitation but since then nothing has been done. Today, we have witnessed this sad event. It is so unfortunate, innocent souls just perished like that”, he said.
When contacted on the phone, the Spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni did not pick his call but sent a message requesting that our correspondent make his intentions known via text.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report he was yet to respond to the text and WhatsApp messages sent to him.