The governor while describing the incident as unfortunate sympathised with those who were affected by the inferno and promised to assist them.
A woman and her child reportedly died in the fire incident which destroyed about four boats, as well as goods and property worth millions of naira on Monday afternoon.
The inferno was said to have been caused by the storage and movement of refined petroleum products.
The jetty is a major transit point for riverine travellers going outside Port Harcourt by boat to coastal communities in Rivers and Bayelsa States.
A source at the maritime union said a woman and a child lost their lives to the fire, while some persons are still missing, saying, “We are still hoping that more bodies will float anytime from now.”
Fubara further expressed his determination to work with the operators of the jetty to streamline measures that would end the occurrence of these annual infernos in the area.
The governor gave the assurance through the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, who represented him.
Danagogo led a high-powered delegation to visit the scene of the inferno in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The SSG stated, “Governor Fubara would have been here himself, but was on another engagement. He has directed us to be here to get a first-hand report.
“We have seen the situation on the ground. We have heard from the maritime workers’ chairman, the complaints, and of course the recommendations he has made concerning a quick reaction time in terms of fire service response.
“We will assess the situation in terms of what has been damaged; the building that has been completely burnt down, the damaged jetty, and other items that were damaged. Be assured he will take every possible step to assuage your feelings and loss.”
The Chairman of the Maritime Workers, Waribo Pepple, said the boats that were affected by the fire had been fully loaded with passengers and goods about to sail before the incident.
“The driver of the affected boat has not been found and they are still watching the tide to see if the drowned person(s) will float up from the depths of the river to the surface to ascertain the number of deaths,” Pepple said.
