I was compelled to convey them to the traders. Speaking from the ferry boat that sank in Anambra, killing over 30 persons, including women and children

The sailor of the boat that capsized at Umunankwo in the Anambra State Ogbaru local government area over the weekend, resulting in the deaths of over 30 people, has claimed that the dead female traders forced him to go on the unfortunate trip because they were desperate to get rid of their crops that had been harvested too soon due to this year flood, which submerged their farms before the planted crops had reached maturity. Amaugo stated that there were 48 people on his boat in a conversation with newsmen. I did not want to make the trip, but the people mostly women begged me to take them to the Nkwo Ogbakuba market so they could sell the early crops they had picked from flooded farms. The market women besieged my house and persuaded me to sail them to Ogbakuba. Having taken off, the wave became too severe and all my attempts to control it failed. The water waves knocked the boat against the pillars of the Umunnakwo/Ossomala bridge against all efforts I made to stabilize it.  Suddenly, the boat capsized. It was terrible seeing people struggle for life. One Mr. Bernard Achonu from Isiala Mbano, Imo State, who resides in Mputu community said he lost his wife and three children aged between two and six years. He said that his family joined the boat to move to a safe area as the flood had submerged almost all houses in the communities in Ogbaru, regretting that the attempt to secure them had turned out to be a misadventure. Another person, Sebastian Umeorji, who said he was still searching for his wife body, was sobbing uncontrollably.