Five die on their way to register

Five persons said to be on their way to participate in the ongoing voter registration  died in a boat mishap in Beyelsa State.

The 12-seater passenger fibre speedboat capsised on Thursday, a short distance from Nembe.

It had taken off from the Ogbia jetty before running into turbulent wave along the Nembe creek.

But another version said seven people lost their lives in the mishap. Four corpses have been recovered. The identity of the victims could not be ascertained as at press time but the recovered corpses were said to have been deposited at Nembe

A resident of the area said the accident could have been averted if only the driver exercised restraint and was not on top speed.

Contacted on the development, Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Eguavoen Emokpae an Assistant Superintendent of Police said he was not in town and as such not aware of the mishap but boat drivers at the Yenagoa jetty confirmed the tragic incident.