Tragedy yesterday struck in Lagos as 3 persons confirmed dead with yet to be ascertained passengers missing in a boat mishap which occurred last night.

Although General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr. Damilola Emmanuel, who also confirmed the incident said only 12 passengers were missing, adding that the ill-fated boat was conveying 20 passengers, some residents argued that there could be more passengers in the boat since the operators are used to overloading of passengers.

We gathered that LASWA, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS), SEHMU and marine police had hectic time yesterday night while trying to rescue lives.

As at the time of filling this reports efforts have been intensified to search for the remaining passengers in the waterbody.

The tragic incident occurred at about 7:30 pm on Wednesday while some of the passengers were returning home. They were heading to Ojo from Coconut jetty when the unfortunate incident happened.

According to LASWA boss, the 20-passenger capacity boat had 18 passengers and two crew members on board when it capsized mid-sea en route Ojo from Coconut jetty, a suburb in Lagos.

He said based on on-the-spot investigations carried out by the agency, the incident was caused by a collision between the passenger boat operated by “God Bless” and a wooden water supply service boat.

LASWA boss added:

“Unfortunately three persons were confirmed dead and their bodies have been deposited in the morgue, while 12 persons were rescued alive and five persons are missing.”

He said rescue efforts were carried out by the combined efforts of the LASWA, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS), SEHMU which led to the timely rescue of 12 passengers, adding that recovery efforts will continue until those missing have been found.

Emmanuel, however, expressed concern that boat operators were in the habit of flouting the order by the agency to desist from operating at night due to the dangers inherent.
He said the State Government in conjunction with the Marine Police will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, adding that the operator of the boat would also be held accountable.

He urged passengers to always ensure that they wear life jackets before embarking on any trip on the waterways and ensure they are worn properly to prevent loss of lives.

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Posted: at 8-11-2018 12:10 PM (5 years ago) | Hero

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