Three people have died and 17 others rescued as a passenger boat capsised at Bayeku area of Ikorodu, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Saturday. The boat, said to belong to Eda Olaropin/Bayeku Association, conveying 20 passengers, ran into a submerged object and capzised mid-sea within the oke ira nla axis while heading to Bayeku area of Ikorodu, at 12:15pm on Saturday.
General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr. Damilola Emmanuel who confirmed the incident said an on the spot investigation carried out by LASWA revealed that the incident was caused by a submerged object beneath the waterways.
He said all passengers were wearing their life jackets but that casualty could have been as a result of fear or shock.
“Unfortunately, three persons were confirmed dead, while 17 persons were rescued alive.
“LASWA sympatises 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 would conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.