A motorized cargo boat caught fire in Bor town, Jonglei State, on Monday evening, bringing the total number of such incidents in the town to three since June.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Elijah Thongbor Abraham, the secretary-general of the Boats’ Trade Union, said this latest incident involved a motorboat loaded with food aid en route to the northern part of the state. He pointed out that the fire started Monday evening and continued until Tuesday morning destroying the boat and its cargo.
“What happened is that some of the boat’s crew were cooking on the boat and this triggered the fire. They tried putting it off but failed,” he explained. “Luckily, the captain courageously drove it off the dock where there were other boats to the middle of the river where it was consumed by the fire from 5 pm to 2 am.”
The union official said all the crew members escaped unhurt.
“No one was killed or injured in the incident,” Thongbor added. “The boat which was contracted by the WFP was loaded with cooking oil which was all destroyed.”
Meanwhile, Jonglei State Information Minister Elizabeth Nyadak said they are shocked by the recurring incidents and that investigations will be carried out to chart a way forward.
“After Saturday’s incident, another boat caught fire at a dock in Leudiet on Tuesday,” she said. “As a state, we are shocked and we will discuss to find a solution.”