The bodies of a missing National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and two naval personnel have been recovered days after a Nigerian Navy gunboat tragically capsized in Delta State.
IREPORT247NEWS reports that the incident, which occurred on the evening of Thursday, July 3, 2025, claimed a total of six confirmed lives, with efforts continuing to bring closure to the maritime tragedy.
The deceased include three naval personnel, two NYSC corps members, and one civilian boat operator. The corpses of the corps member and two Navy officers, previously listed as missing, were retrieved during an intensified search and recovery operation led by the Nigerian Navy.
The ill-fated gunboat, identified as the EPENAL Gunboat DE 24, had been transporting 15 individuals—comprising nine naval personnel and six civilians, including three NYSC members—when it capsized at approximately 7:45 p.m. The boat was navigating its return route from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos to a hotel in the Arunton community.
The vessel had just concluded a humanitarian medical outreach mission in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area. The outreach was jointly organized by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta and the EMT Foundation, under the Navy’s civil-military cooperation initiative tagged Operation Delta Sanity II.
The accident occurred near a Chevron Nigeria Limited facility, specifically at coordinates latitude 05° 36.408’N and longitude 005° 11.982’E. Immediately after the vessel capsized, the Nigerian Navy launched a search-and-rescue operation.
Twelve individuals were pulled from the water and rushed to a nearby Chevron clinic for emergency care. Sadly, six were confirmed dead shortly after arrival.
The six confirmed fatalities are:
Commander JO Eidangbe
Petty Officer Abolarinwa
Ordinary Seaman Tena
Miss Chinenye (NYSC member)
Miss Dorcas (NYSC member)
Master Destiny, the civilian boat operator
Initially, three individuals had been unaccounted for: Lieutenant DK Nehemiah, Sub-Lieutenant Kwala, and Miss Uche, another NYSC member. Their bodies have now been recovered, bringing the death toll from the incident to nine.
Six Confirmed Dead as Navy Boat Capsizes in Delta
This tragic accident has cast a pall over what was intended to be a goodwill mission, highlighting the dangerous conditions under which both military personnel and civilian volunteers often operate.
The Nigerian Navy has expressed its condolences to the families of the deceased and reiterated its commitment to investigating the cause of the incident and improving safety protocols for future operations.