Upper Nile State, South Sudan
November 24,2021— Latest reports from Northern Upper Nile confirm that a boat accident in Kaka Tijaria area of Manyo County has killed more than 12 people that include children.
In a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia, an official of the local boat union said the boat with 28 passengers on board, while heading to Malakal, sank in the Nyanwar area and killed at least 12 people.
The head of the River Boats Association in Renk County, William Omay said that the ill-fated boat moved from a landing site in Al-Geger, north of Renk town, and was heading to Malakal town with a load of 350 bags of sorghum and 13 passengers.
According to William Omay, at least 7 children died in this tragic accident.
“What happened on Sunday was a very tragic boat accident. The boat was traveling from Geger, loaded with 350 bags of sorghum and 13 passengers who were listed on the manifest in Geger. When the boat reached Nyanwa, it sank. We are still collecting information, but we heard that 12 people died, including 7 children.”, Omay told Radio Tamazuj on Monday.
Omay stressed that they are still collecting more information on the matter, adding that one of their officials has gone to the scene to identify the facts.
Although it is yet to be confirmed, Omay also said 16 people might have survived.
“We learned that there are 16 survivors and were told that the boat was overloaded and there were also high winds which made it sink.”, Omay emphasized.
According to Joseph William, who serves as the police chief in Kaka Tijaria, they received the information late on Sunday evening that a boat sank in the Nyanwar area and the police evacuated 16 survivors from the scene of the accident.
In other reports, the deadly accident might have been due to high winds.
The survivors revealed that at least 12 people including seven children, women, and the crew of the boat are still missing so far but authority in the area assures that a search is underway to find the missing bodies.
