UPDATED: Four surveyors drown in Ekiti, but ‘they’re not World Bank staff’
Four people drowned in the Egbe dam in Gbonyin local government area of Ekiti state on Wednesday during a World Bank assessment of the dam.
After the boat conveying the workers capsized, Sade Akinrinmola, chairman of the local government, had invited local fishermen to embark on a rescue mission.
Albert Adeyemi, public relations officer of the police in the state, confirmed the tragedy, saying there were three survivors.
“Three of the men were rescued while four drowned,” he told TheCable.
It was initially unclear if all four were staff of the World Bank Group (WBG) or of the Kaduna state development dams and irrigation scheme, who, since Tuesday, had been assessing the dam.
An official of the World Bank Group, who spoke with TheCable, had said there was no information yet on whether the deceased were staff or contractors of the international financial institution.
But the WBG issued a statement on Thursday evening to clarify that the deceased were not its staff.
“The World Bank Group expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the drowning tragedy that took place on the Egbe Dam,” read the statement, signed by Kabiru Mohammed, its spokesman.
“Contrary to some reports, no staff members of the World Bank Group were involved in this accident, though we are saddened by this unfortunate incident.”
I was very surprised at the initial reports that they were World Bank staff. It’s unlikely that the Bank would let their staff travel on a boat without life jackets and its about time this was standard practice.
May God console the victims families.