17 persons were rescued while three confirmed dead in a boat mishap on Lagos waterways on Saturday.
The boat belonging to Edaolaropin/Baiyeku Association which was said to be conveying 20 passengers ran into a submerged object and capsized mid-sea within the Oke-Ira Nla axis heading to Baiyeku area of Ikorodu Lagos at about 12:15 pm.
This is contained in a press release made available to our correspondent by the General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Damilola Emmanuel in Lagos.
Mr Emmanuel who confirmed the incident added that on the spot investigation carried out by the Authority revealed that the incident was caused by a submerged object beneath the waterways.
He said all passengers were wearing their life jackets but casualty could have been as a result of fear or shock, adding that unfortunately, three persons were confirmed dead, while 17 persons were rescued alive. “LASWA sympathizes with the families of the deceased and the Agency is committed to achieving a zero-incident rate on the waterways through enforced regulations and thorough risk management culture,” Emmanuel said.
He, however, noted that the spot of the submerged wreck had been marked to avoid future occurrence while the State Government in conjunction with the Marine Police will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
