At least three persons have been confirmed dead while 11 others were rescued in a boat mishap that occurred in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State on Monday.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority Head of Public Affairs Unit, Wuraola Alake, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
Alake said that “At about 7.17 p.m. on February 26, LASWA got a distress call that a 17-seater boat named Oluwaseyifunmi, loaded with 14 passengers, was involved in an accident.
“The accident occurred along the Ibeshe/Ikorodu channel en route Ebute Ipakodo Ikorodu taken off from Addax jetty, Lagos. It was gathered that the capsized boat and another passenger boat (yet to be identified) were engaging in speed contest causing strong waves that capsized one of the boats while the other boat ran to Ibeshe jetty to call for help.
“Local operators from Ibeshe jetty were the first responders; the LASWA team joined immediately after in the rescue operations in which 11 passengers were rescued with three casualties.”
She noted that no manifest was filled at the Addax Jetty before passengers boarded the boat, adding that nine of the 11 rescued passengers later filled the manifest at the Ibeshe ferry terminal after they had been rescued.
According to Alake, “Two other passengers refused to put down their details. LASWA and other first responders were able to rescue 11 alive while the three casualties were recovered and handed over to the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority and the State Environmental Health Management Unit.’’