PHOTO: Passengers seen here boarding boats at Juba port - Stephen Chot | Eye Radio | October 21, 2021

Four people are feared dead and five others are nursing injuries after a boat capsized along the Nile near Bor town on Saturday night.

Jonglei Police Commissioner Major Elia Costa said two heavily loaded boats attempting to avoid collision swerved in the middle of the river, leaving one overturned and the other sinking.

The incident occurred at 10 PM, as one boat carrying relief food to Malakal encountered another boat presumed to be heading to Juba.

“Yesterday in the evening, we received a report that there are two boats inside the river. One overturned and the other one, which is carrying food items for certain organization and has people on top of it sank,” he told Eye Radio.

Major Costa said a rescue team of security officers have confirmed the death of one person, while three others are unaccounted for.

“So, the security went there during the night and rescued some people four of them died. They found only one dead body and the other three are still missing,” he said.

Costa said the details of the incident are still sketchy and that they have launched an investigation into the cause of the matter.

The security official blamed the incident on overloading of the boats, adding that the two drivers of the boat have been arrested.

The Deputy Governor of Jonglei reportedly visited the injured survivors at the hospital.

“About five have injuries so they brought them to Bor in the middle of the last night and they are in the hospital. The Deputy Governor aid a visit to the hospital this morning. That’s what happened on the Nile.”