After a Nigerian tugboat, LEO, sank in South African waters on Saturday night, a Nigerian national has been officially declared deceased.
According to reports, the ship, carrying eighteen passengers, went down after running aground due to severe weather. Twelve crew members were saved, but five more are still unaccounted for as search and rescue operations continue.
In a statement sent to Dr. Magnus Eze, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, by the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, the Federal Government revealed the occurrence.
The statement claims that after the tugboat ran into problems about eighteen nautical miles off the coast between Cape Town and Durban, South African transport authorities notified Nigerian authorities. After being repaired in South Africa, the ship was reportedly on its way to Lagos when it went aground during a storm.
Five people are still missing, according to Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who confirmed that one death has been reported.
She further disclosed that survivors are being transferred to Port Elizabeth, where Nigerian High Commission representatives are anticipated to greet them and offer any assistance they require.
As the search for the missing crew members picks up steam, the Federal Government stated it is keeping tight links with South African authorities. Although inclement weather has been identified as a contributing factor, the entire circumstances surrounding the tragedy are yet unknown to maritime authorities.
