Two people were killed and six others injured in an accident involving two commercial boats along the River Nile in Twic East County of Jonglei State on Wednesday, police and local officials said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, John Mawut Ngang, the state police spokesperson, said the fatal accident occurred when the two boats collided at the Marial area along the Nile River of Jonglei’s Twic East County on Wednesday night.
“The incident involved a boat carrying passengers and goods which left Bor for Twic East with an empty boat coming from Fangak County. Reaching Marial, the two collided, killing two people on the spot and injuring six others,” Mawut said.
The police officer pointed out that an investigation is still ongoing into the incident, and that the injured are receiving treatment at the Bor hospital.
“For now, we can not tell who was wrong. On Thursday, a team of traffic police officers went to the site of the incident but they have not yet released their results,” he said.
Dr. Bol Chaw of Bor State Hospital, said they are treating four people with minor injuries after the accident.
“About four people were brought yesterday, and they are currently undergoing treatment. Yesterday, I carried out a postmortem examination on one dead body, but the other body is still missing,” he said.
For his part, Elijah Thongbor Abraham, the Secretary-General of the Jonglei Boats Trade Union, urged his fellow boat owners to take precautionary measures for passengers' safety while sailing along the Nile.
“During the accident, two people, including one of the captains died on the spot, and four other people including a child were injured. My advice to the boat owners is that we should sail with care and avoid over speeding.”