The remains of a NYSC corps member and two naval personnel who drowned along with six people when a naval gunboat capsized on Thursday evening have been discovered, according to a naval official.
Chronicle NG gathered that those who died in the gunboat mishap could have survived the incident if it had been an open boat.
According to preliminary findings, gunboats’ protective windscreens made it harder for victims to swim out when they sank.
“Gunboat has protective windscreens as part of the features. When the accident occurred, the protective glasses all over the boat made it difficult for them to swim out.
“It is also very difficult to open a car door under the water; so it is with a gunboat. They probably struggled with the door, and as they were doing this, some of them were getting weak and weaker. How those who survived did was a miracle,” the source added.
It was gathered that the Navy did not compromise on lifejackets on the trip, as they all had the jackets on.
Mr Dele Fasan, South South Regional Editor of Galaxy Television, who had joined the Navy team in the gunboat earlier that day to cover a medical outreach by the Navy at Okerenkoko community, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, stated that his insistence on going to Warri that day to send his report caused him not to be in the gunboat during the mishap.
“When they finished the first round of the medical outreach they invited journalists for, I told the commander on the ground that I wanted to go to Warri to send my report. He even tried persuading me to sleep so I could cover the second leg of the event the following day, but I insisted on going back to file the story for that day.”
“He later arranged for another boat to take me and some other journalists back to Warri. When I heard of the mishap, I felt so bad. We were all in the gunboat with them earlier in the day. One of us even did this usual video showing us in the gunboat.
“May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace,” he said.
