Four World Bank Consultants Drowned In Ekiti

Four were said to be working on a World Bank assessment mission to the river and had commenced work on Tuesday night.

The four World Bank consultants have drowned in Egbe River in Egbe community, Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

They were said to have come from Development Dams and Irrigation Schemes, Kaduna State; and had died when the boat carrying seven of them and their equipment capsized.

Sources said four of the occupants of the boat, who didn’t wear life jackets, died; while three other survived.

The bodies of the dead were retrieved by local fishermen, who were said to have been mobilised by the chairman of Gbonyin Local Government Area, Mrs. Folasade Akinrinmola.

The Commissioner for Information, Lanre Ogunsuyi, who had visited the scene described the mishap as unfortunate.

A resident told our correspondent on the telephone that she was notified of the incident by the traditional ruler of the community.

She said, “We immediately mobilised a rescue team and an ambulance and those wearing life jackets were rescued.

“The rescued people were the ones who told us that others were still in the water.

“Their bodies were later retrieved by the local fishermen.”

On their mission to the river, the council boss said, “We believe that they were there based on some of the proposals we had written on the dam and how it could be put to use; and we believe that the World Bank had started work on the river based on the call.”

The bodies of the victims have been deposited at the mortuary in Ode-Ekiti, headquarters of the council area.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the incident.

He said, “They must have come from the federal ministry, because dams are owned by the Federal Government.

“Their boat capsized; four of them died, while three survived.”