At least four women have been reported drowned in a river in aEbonyi State

At least four women have been reported drowned in a river as a result of a boat mishap that happened in Afikpo North Local Govern­ment Area of Ebonyi State at the weekend.
Daily Sun reported that the de­ceased and four other women, who went to a farm across the river in Cross River State, were returning to Afikpo when their boat capsized in Oziza River due to a windstorm.
According to an eyewitness account, the four other women were rescued by fishermen, who were in the river when the incident occurred. continue ...

The source stated that one of the four persons that died was rescued alive but died on the way to hospital.
He said only two corpses were recovered, while two other corpses had not been seen at press time.
Investigation re­vealed that two speed boats hired by the villagers to search for the corpses of the women went as far as Itu in Cross Riv­er State but their efforts were futile.
While confirming the tragic incident, Secretary to Oziza Tradi­tional Council of Elders, Chief Okpani Egwu, warned that those who did not know how to swim should not go near the river.
Speaking in the same vein, the Public Relations Officer of Afikpo North Local Gov­ernment Area, Mr. Emmanuel Irem, urged farmers in Cross River State to always use speed boats and avoid over-­loading.
It could be recalled that boat mishaps have been recurring in many states in Nigeria lately. Some weeks ago, no fewer than eight people lost their lives in a boat accident that happened in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
Due to the tragic incident, the Lagos State government had charged waterways authorities to find solution to the menace.