Fifteen rescued, One dead as boat collides with shoreline in Lagos

By Raphael Innocent

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) rescued fifteen passengers onboard an ill-fated boat following an incident around 6:50 pm on Wednesday.

The spokesperson for LASWA, Wuraola Alake, in a statement issued on Thursday, disclosed that the ferry with seventeen passengers on board had collided with a submerged shoreline concrete at a construction site around the power line corridor under the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.

Confirming the tragedy, Alake further revealed that while fifteen people had been rescued, one casualty was recorded and one other missing.

“At about 6.50 pm today, Wednesday 21, 2024, an Ibeshe bound passenger ferry named T-Ben, having departed from Addax jetty, had a collision with a submerged shoreline concrete at a construction site around the power line corridor at the Lekki Ikoyi Link Bridge.

“Fifteen out of the Seventeen passengers said to be on board this boat have been rescued with one casualty confirmed, while rescue effort is still ongoing at the time of issuing this statement.”
She further assured that officers from the Search and Rescue Unit of the agency and other volunteers were still carrying out further rescue operations.

Recall that, in a similar tragedy last October, two passengers, Misturat Okunbanjo and Azeezat Amoo, were confirmed dead when a boat capsized in the Isawo community of the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

Four other victims were also rescued in the accident, which was reported to have happened around 8 pm on a Thursday.

Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Ololade Agboola, disclosed this in a statement, adding that the capsized boat was on board from Olorunsogo to Isawo community.