One of the survivors from the Calabar boat wreck, Kive Sani has disclosed that the vessel was conveying illegal migrants from Oron in Akwa Ibom State to Gabon.
The wooden boat which was carrying 166 people from southeastern Nigeria, capsized about 40 nautical miles off the coast, with only two known survivors.
Their trip to Gabon, as disclosed by Kive Sani, a 27 year old Togolese and one of the two confirmed survivors was in search of greener pastures.
According to Sani, the wooden boat did not sail through the normal route and had travelled through a lonely part of the sea.
Hafsat Zakare, the second survivor said that they remained in the sea from about 9pm Friday when the mishap happened till 3pm on Sunday, before succor came their way.
They were saved by the help of a rescue team from a petroleum company (ADDAX), off the shores of Calabar. They are receiving treatment at a private hospital in Calabar, the state capital, where they were rushed to.
The survivors revealed the cause of the wreckage as a leakage into the wooden vessel which was caused by an engine failure.
Casualties, who ranged from women to children are said to include citizens of Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Senegal and just a few Nigerians.
It was also disclosed that most of the passengers were women among whom was a pregnant woman.
The Eastern zone coordinator, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Olayemi Abas, has confirmed that bodies of nine casualties have been received by the agency and they have been deposited at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Mortuary.
Efforts to recover more bodies are on-going.
