Four passengers die, 12 missing after boat capsize on Lagos waterways
Four bodies have been recovered from a boat mishap, which reportedly occurred on Friday night in Lagos.
About 16 passengers, including children, were reported to have gone missing after a fibre boat conveying them from Mile 2 to Ojo Local Government axis of the state suddenly capsized.
The boat mishap, as gathered, occurred when the passenger fibre boat en route Ibeshe, hit a stationary barge along the Mile 2 waterways which caused the boat to overturn.
On Saturday, it was learnt that a joint search and rescue team from Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), National Inland Waterways (NIWA) Nigerian Marine Police and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were currently combing the waters to check for survivors and recover more bodies.
The tragedy occurred on Friday after the boat captain left the terminal some minutes past 7pm, breaking the waterways rules of late travelling set by the government.
The accident came barely three days after another boat accident around Ikorodu area of the state, which led to the death of two passengers.
Confirming the accident, both NIWA and LASWA through statements, said: “At about 7.45pm, the 8th of July 2022, the National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.
“The Boat going from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in Ojo axis broke the waterways rules of late travelling by setting sail at 7.45pm. As he set out, the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge which caused the boat to overturn. It is said that all passengers on board including children were not all putting on their life jackets.
“The Search and Rescue team of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), National Inland Waterways (NIWA) Nigerian Marine Police and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were immediately mobilized to the scene of the incident but unfortunately could only find the boat after several hours while efforts are still ongoing to locate the victims.
“The Boat is currently in the custody of Marine Police. The Boat Captain is also unaccounted for as at the time of this press release.”
