A clergyman and his wife died Friday after their boat capsized on the Odioma-Brass River in Bayelsa State's Brass Local Government Area.
The vessel was ferrying church members to Yenagoa for a religious programme. Heavy rainfall and poor weather conditions caused the disaster, sources say.
Most passengers made it to safety after the boat went down. But the pastor and his spouse were among those caught in the tragedy.
Rescue teams recovered the woman's body and took it to a mortuary. Searchers are still looking for the clergyman and any other missing passengers.
DSP Musa Mohammed, Bayelsa's Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to reporters. He noted that the exact death toll remained unclear as rescue operations continued.
Nigeria Police's Marine Unit joined the search mission immediately. They're working to locate survivors still trapped in the river.
Moses Inene, Youth President of Odioma Community, also spoke about the tragedy. He confirmed both the pastor and his wife were aboard the ill-fated boat.
Local divers have been deployed for the search and rescue effort. According to Inene, they've already recovered the pastor's wife.
Search teams haven't yet found the pastor. Inene expressed confidence that ongoing rescue efforts would succeed in locating all missing persons.
