The relatives of people killed after a bus plunged into Akaeze River in Ivo council area of Ebonyi have raised concerns about the absence of government in recovery operations.
They say the absence of the government is slowing down recovery effort by locals and professional divers.
There has been reported scarcity of protective gear, oxygen and boats for divers.
Relatives who have been at the scene since Saturday to identify bodies of their loved ones said the toll could climb to 36 dead.
It comes three days after Governor David Umahi visited the scene to witness the bus and 14 bodies being recovered from the river.
The accident occurred on Friday on Akaeze bridge in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi where a 608 bus carrying over 40 passengers plunged into the River while attempting to overtake a truck.
A spokesman for the group of affected families gave his name as Nnaemeka. His sister is among the victims.
He also added that the pastor of the church whose members were on the bus had visited the scene and noted the number of members on the bus was 40 not 32 as originally stated by the driver who survived the accident.
His words: “The divers are entering water but they are entering the water without any of their gadgets and this has slowed their effort.
“Usually they will need to go in with oxygen and oxygen mask but now they can’t do that, they are just swimming like the other local divers trying to see the much they can recover.
“We have gone to the other village because some of the bodies have left the scene of the accident because of the heavy flowing nature of the river which have moved the bodies away to the next village called Mgbede and after the Mgbede village river it enter another village river.
Four more bodies were recovered on Sunday, and another four on Monday—three women and man whose hand had been bitten off.
A total 25 bodies have been recovered by Monday evening. Only four people survived the accident.
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