The Nigerian Navy has confirmed the successful rescue of 99 passengers following a head-on collision between a market boat and a barge in the waterways of Rivers State.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said the incident occurred on Tuesday, April 29, and prompted an immediate response from personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder.
The Navy deployed four gunboats after receiving a distress call and launched a rescue operation near Akuku-Toru Local Government Area. The market boat, en route to the area, had reportedly struck a barge identified as ADAM (Damen Buba), sustaining major structural damage.
Despite the difficult conditions, all 99 passengers were safely rescued by Navy personnel stationed at Naval Security Station 035, in coordination with the deployed gunboats. Adams-Aliu noted that most of the goods on board were also recovered during the operation.
