Nigeria: After almost three days after the tragic boat accident around the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, which led to the death of two individuals, another boat accident took place on Friday night near the Mile 2 area.
The Lagos Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mrs Sarat Braimah, confirmed the incident through a statement on Saturday, July 9.
Braimah stated that over 16 passengers on board the ill-fated boat are yet to be accounted for.
At around 7:45 pm, on July 8, Friday, the National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State Waterways Authority got a distress call of an accident on the waterways.
A W19 passenger Fibre boat in which 16 people were travelling overturned along the Ojo area of the state.
The boat travelling from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in the Ojo axis broke the laws of waterways of late travelling by initiating sail at 7:45 pm.
Braimah further stated that the tide of the water drifted the boat around a stationary bridge, which caused it to capsize.
It is reported that all passengers on board, which also included the children were not all putting on their life-saving jackets.
The search as well as rescue team of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and National Inland Waterways (NIWA) were informed immediately and sent to the scene of the incident, for, unfortunately, they could only find the boat after many hours of searching.
The search team is still looking for the victims. The captain of the boat is also unaccounted for this time, she further said.
Braimah highlighted that the boat was presently in the custody of Marine Police.
