How Delta Assembly Speaker, Emomotimi Guwor Escaped Death As Police Confirms Five Casualties In Delta Boat Mishap

Barely few days after a boat mishap involving a boat engaged by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor and another owned by a billionaire businessman and Chairman of Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha, the Delta state police command, on Tuesday says at least five persons have been confirmed dead in a boat mishap along Bennett Island River in Warri South-west local government area of Delta State.

It was learnt that the Speaker was returning from his village after an outing on Friday November 22, 2024 when his boat and another had a head-on collision resulting to the death of about six persons and several others injured.

Guwor narrowly escaped death in the mishap, according to sources but the other smaller passport 19 boat was shattered and several persons were said to have died and others hospitalized.

One source said that one of the victims of the Speaker’s boat mishap would be buried tomorrow, Wednesday at one of the Gbaramatu communities.

It was not clear if the incident involving the Speaker was same as the one which reportedly occurred on Saturday but some reports say the incident happened when the speedboat carrying passengers who were returning from a burial collided with a submerged log, causing it to capsize.

Six persons who were reportedly injured from the boat collision, are currently battling for their lives at undisclosed hospital.

“The collision threw many passengers overboard into the water, many of whom were unable to swim as they were not on life jackets.

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“Many of the passengers on the ferry drowned almost immediately upon being tossed into the river”, local sources disclosed.

However, contrary to claims that over 30 passengers onboard the boat lost their lives during the incident, State Police Public Relations Officer SP Bright Edafe who confirmed the incident in a terse statement on Tuesday, said that five persons died.

The police spokesman didn’t give details of the incident, but he merely confirmed that six were injured and still receiving treatment while nineteen have so far been rescued but one still missing.

“Five found dead, six persons injured and still receiving treatment, nineteen persons rescued, one still missing”, Edafe said.