Nile River Boat Accidents Kill At Least 14

October 27, 2008 (Malakal) – At least 14 people died last week in three separate incidents when boats collided on the Nile in Upper Nile state.

In an interview on Wednesday in Malakal, the Chairman of the River Boats Union, Mr. Jospeh Apan Yohanes, said that the accidents occurred at night, with darkness and lack of navigation lights featuring as the main causes of the collisions.

He said that the first accident occurred early last week when a boat carrying passengers from Al-Nasir collided with another vessel carrying goods to Al-Nasir in the Glashell area, killing 7 people.

The second accident occurred in what is called the Egyptian Irrigation Area in Malakal, in which 6 people were killed. Three bodies are still missing.

According to Mr. Yohanes, one person died and three others were injured in the third accident, which took place on Tuesday night when a ferry traveling to Bor collided with a small boat.

Following the accidents, the River Boats Union has decided to prohibit boats from sailing after dark. The Union says it will compensate the families of the victims who died in the three accidents.