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No fewer than two persons have been confirmed dead, four rescued and one missing after a passenger boat capsized in Ikorodu Local Government, Lagos State.
Among the passengers said to be on board when the boat overturned in Offin, Ibeshe axis of Ikorodu were five adults including the boat captain and two toddlers.
As gathered, the passengers who were all related left Makoko in Lagos Mainland for Ikorodu with the fishing boat but at 7 pm, the boat could not withstand the water current usually recorded around the scene of the mishap.They left Makoko for offin Ikorodu where they were expected to attend a relative’s funeral.
Confirming the tragedy, General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, disclosed that the fishing boat was clearly operating outside its fishing capability.
Emmanuel added that further investigation revealed that the boat was not equipped with necessary safety gadgets including lifejackets, for a passenger ferry operation.
He stated that the first responder to the incident scene was a passenger ferry that witness the incident before the arrival of LASWA rescue team and narrated what transpired before the boat overturned.
“Upon further investigations, it was revealed that ALL Seven passengers on board were not wearing a lifejacket . 4 Passengers were rescued alive, two fatalities and one passenger missing.
“The men of the LASEMA and Marine Police have been contacted to support the ongoing search operation for the remaining victim while further investigation is ongoing”, the general manager added.
Abass Latifat
