CALABAR, Nigeria – A tragic boat accident on the Calabar Channel led to the loss of three medical students on Saturday, June 24, 2023.
The speed boat, carrying 14 medical students, capsized due to high waves.
The medical students, who were in Calabar for their annual medical week, had visited the popular Marina Resort for a day of social activities.
They boarded the speed boat intending to head to Oron Beach in Akwa Ibom State.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke with The Trent on Saturday, June 24, 2023, revealed that high waves in the Calabar Channel caused the boat to capsize shortly after leaving the Marina Resort jetty.
“The boat capsized due to high waves on the Calabar Channel, and the 14 passengers, including the driver, drowned,” an eyewitness reported. “However, the Nigerian Navy patrol teams were nearby, and their divers were able to rescue 11 of them.”
A source from the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory confirmed the incident, stating that navy divers were still searching the waters in hopes of rescuing the remaining three passengers, though hope was fading as time passed.
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An official from the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Cross River State chapter, who requested anonymity, also confirmed that the three missing students are presumed to have died.
The official detailed that the students were participating in the 2023 Nigeria Medical Association Health Week hosted by the Medical School in Calabar.
“Few of the students decided to go on a boat cruise, and it happened that when they were coming back from the boat cruise to move to Tinapa for their normal social ride, the boat capsized,” the NMA official explained. “Eleven of them came out safely, while three of them are still missing. Two are from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and one from the University of Uyo.”
The navy has been involved in retrieval efforts for the missing students, but it is expected that their bodies might not be recovered until they resurface.
This tragic incident has cast a somber shadow over the annual medical week and raised concerns about the safety measures in place for water transportation in the region.
