…As journalist narrates how he missed trip
By Jimitota Onoyume
Remains of a corps member and two Naval personnel that drowned alongside six others, when a Naval gunboat capsized, Thursday evening, have been recovered, a Naval personnel confirmed.
Vanguard 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, the way gunboats were built with protective windshield made it difficult for the victims to swim out when it capsized.
“Gunboat has protective windscreens as part of the features. When the accident occured, 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 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 miracle,” the source added .
Vanguard gathered that the Navy did not compromise on lifejackets on the trip as they all hard the jackets on.
The South South Regional Editor of Galaxy Television, Mr. Dele Fasan, who 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, said, it was his insistence that he wanted to go to Warri that day to send his report that made 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 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.
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