South African authorities have confirmed the rescue of 12 crew members from a Nigerian tugboat that sank off the country’s coastline, leaving one person dead and five others still unaccounted for.
The vessel, known as LEO, was carrying 18 crew members when it ran into trouble late on Saturday. Having stopped in South Africa for repairs, the tugboat was en route back to Lagos when it ran aground in heavy seas approximately 18 nautical miles offshore between Cape Town and Durban. Rough conditions are believed to have contributed to the incident.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed that the Nigerian government had been formally notified by the South African Ministry of Transportation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the minister acknowledged the confirmed fatality and said search and rescue operations were continuing in the hope of locating the five missing crew members.
According to the statement, South Africa’s maritime authorities have been coordinating the response. Survivors are currently being transported to Port Elizabeth, where officials from the Nigeria High Commission are travelling to receive and assist them.
Rescue and recovery efforts remain under way, with further updates expected as search teams continue to scour the waters for the missing sailors.