South African authorities have rescued 12 crew members from a Nigerian tugboat that sank late Saturday night off the country’s coastline, with one person confirmed dead and five others still unaccounted for.
The vessel, identified as LEO, reportedly had 18 persons on board. It was said to have travelled to South Africa for repairs but ran aground in rough weather about 18 nautical miles offshore between Cape Town and Durban while returning to Lagos.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed on Monday that the South African Ministry of Transport had formally notified Nigerian authorities of the incident.
In a statement issued in Abuja by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the minister confirmed that one fatality had been recorded, while search and rescue operations were ongoing for the five missing crew members.
According to her, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has conveyed that the rescued crew members are being transported to Port Elizabeth, where officials of the Nigeria High Commission are en route to receive them.
Rescue and recovery efforts are continuing as authorities work to locate the missing crew members.
Advertisement
