Nigerian man dies after rescuing13 persons in boat accident
- Nigerian man died after rescuing 13 people in boat accident
- A spokesman for the Rivers State police, Nnamdi Omoni told the CNN that the accident was caused by the passenger boat carrying 24 people crashing into an object.
Nigerian man, Joseph Blankson, put his life on the line to save the life of many when the boat he was in had an accident and capsized, he jumped in the water to rescue those who had fallen overboard.
According to CNN report sighted by YEN.com.gh, Blankson, single-handedly managed to pull 13 people out of the river.
The father of two eventually became exhausted as he went in and out of the river, rescuing one person after the other.
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As he was trying to save the 14th person, Blankson tragically drowned.
A spokesman for the Rivers State police, Nnamdi Omoni told the CNN that the accident was caused by the passenger boat carrying 24 people crashing into an object.
Omoni also confirmed that Blackson, 36, was the only casualty. As he was selflessly saving lives, others in the vicinity - including other boat drivers - stepped in to help rescue the remaining 10 people.
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Blankson was known as a selfless and loving man to the people in his life but now, he will always be remembered as a real-life superhero.
His wife, Mercy, paid tribute to her husband: "He was a loving and caring man, a very good father to our kids. He put people first, before himself. He was selfless."
Mercy said Blankson, who lives in Port Harcourt, southern Nigeria had gone to his village and had boarded the boat with his sisters, who were among the survivors of the accident.
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"I was at home waiting for him to come back from work because he works on Saturdays. From work, he went to the village, and when I called him at 2 pm, his phone was switched off."
A week on from his tragic death, Mercy says his children are asking for their father: "My son has been asking me about his dad. If I'm talking to someone on the phone, he says 'mummy is that my daddy? mummy, can I see my dad?"
"Normally when he [Blankson] travels we do video calls. This past Saturday, a week after he left, my son was really down. He felt everything emotionally. And my daughter has been crying because she knows something is wrong."
The young widow is now left with a four-year-old son and seven-month-old daughter to raise alone. She says it won't be easy as she is currently unemployed and her husband was the sole breadwinner for the family.
Mercy says she is holding out hope for the government to assist and for people to give her job opportunities. Representatives from the Rivers state government have already visited her, she said.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
