The Government of Sierra Leone (GOSL) through the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in collaboration with SABCO Fishing company yesterday Tuesday 9th August , 2022 gave befitting burial to the nine( 9) fishermen who died after a boat capsized at sea along the Jui axis on the outskirts of Freetown on Tuesday 2nd August, at the general Cemetery in Waterloo.

In her statement, the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Hon.Emma Kowa Jalloh (Mrs) who led the burial procession on behalf of Government of Sierra Leone, expressed deepest condolences to the bereaved Families and assured that the police would Investigate the circumstances that led to the incident at sea.

The Minister further assured that her Ministry would engage all fishing companies in the country to ensure the enforcement of all safety protocols at Sea , including the mandatory use of life Jackets and prohibiting boats at Sea after 7:00 pm.

According t survivors of the victims , their loved ones hung on the capsized boat for a very long time before a rescue team Arrived at the scene to rescue them After the company. had been informed about the incident , but to no a avail.

The operations Manager of the SABCO Fishing Company in Freetown , Sahr Jimmy , said they rescued most of the. Crew members on the boat before responding to an invitation at the Jui Police Division.

The victim buried yesterday were Ibrahim Bangura, Momoh Sonnie, Foday Kamara, Yusif Conteh, Mohamed Kamara and four others .

Meanwhile, the Ross Road Police Division in east and Freetown has launched an investigation into incident as eleven (11) of the twenty fishermen survived without the use of Mandatory Life Jackets.