The incident was alleged to have occurred during a heavy downpour, and terrible weather conditions are thought to have contributed to the catastrophe.

On Friday, tragedy hit Bayelsa State when a boat transporting church members to a religious function overturned along the Odioma-Brass River in Brass Local Government Area, killing a pastor and his wife.

The incident was alleged to have occurred during a heavy downpour, and terrible weather conditions are thought to have contributed to the catastrophe.

The fatalities were among numerous church members on their way to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, for a church service when the boat capsized in the middle of the journey.

Although numerous passengers were apparently saved alive, the pastor and his wife were among those seriously injured by the accident.

Residents and local rescuers eventually retrieved the pastor’s wife’s body, which has since been lodged in a mortuary, while searches for the pastor and other passengers who were believed to be missing continued.

DSP Musa Mohammed, spokesperson for the Bayelsa State Police Command, confirmed the event and stated that authorities had yet to determine the actual number of casualties because rescue attempts were still ongoing.

According to him, operatives from the Nigeria Police Force’s Marine Unit helped local rescuers in the hunt.

“The number of casualties cannot be confirmed for now because rescue efforts are still ongoing,” he said.

Speaking about the incident, Odioma Community’s Youth President, Moses Inene, stated that the pastor and his wife were engaged in a boat accident.

He stated that local divers had been recruited to increase rescue attempts in the river.

“Inene said the corpse of the pastor’s wife has been recovered, while efforts are still ongoing to locate the pastor,” a community source familiar with the operation disclosed.