Three children d!e as boat capsizes in Bayelsa

Three children have lost their lives after a boat conveying passengers from Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State capsized at Ikebiri-1 community.

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According to Daily Trust, the incident occurred on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 around 1am, when a commercial wooden boat was transporting passengers to Yenagoa, the state capital.

A local diver in Ikebiri community told the publication that the bodies of the deceased children, two males and one female, aged between six and 15, have been recovered by local divers and transported back to Azuzuama community. 

A former Chairman of the Maritime Union Workers in Bayelsa State, Ipigansi Ogoniba, who confirmed the incident, said they have already dispatched divers from Yenagoa to the scene and are awaiting a report.

He said the union is yet to receive details about the casualties and the total number of passengers on board, as the boat did not depart from Yenagoa.

It was gathered that the accident is suspected to have been caused by overloading and a failed pumping machine that was meant to evacuate water from the boat.