A 19-passenger boat conveying 16 people late on Friday capsised along Ojo waterways area of Lagos State, leaving all passengers feared dead as of the time of filing in this report.
This is even as sources within the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed to Sunday Tribune that four bodies have been recovered. In a statement jointly signed on Saturday by the Lagos Area Manager, Engineer Sarat Braimah and General Manager of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Damilola Emmanuel, the boat flouted waterways rules by setting sail at 7:45pm, which falls after the 7am to 7pm time giving for ferry operations in Lagos.
According to the statement, “At about 7.45pm on Friday, the 8th of July 2022, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.
“A W-19 passenger Fibre boat carrying 16 people capsised along the Ojo area of the state.
“The boat going from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in Ojo axis broke the waterways rules of late travelling by setting sail at 7.45pm. As the boat set out, the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge, which caused the boat to overturn. It is said that all passengers on board which includes children were not all putting on their life jackets.
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In another development, four people were on Saturday rescued and two others still missing as heavy flood washed two vehicles away in the Orile Agege area of Lagos State following a heavy rainfall.
Victims of the flood incident were occupants of two vehicles, a Sport Utility Vehicle and a Toyota saloon car.
It was gathered that the drivers of the vehicles ignored warnings by residents of Oyatoki Street, where the incident happened.
It was gathered that three occupants of the SUV and another occupant of the saloon car who listened to the warnings of the residents were those that were rescued.
The driver of the saloon car and one other person were still missing as of Saturday afternoon as they were washed away with the vehicle in the flood.
The South West coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Ibrahim Farinloye confirmed the incident to Sunday Tribune.
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