Boat Accident: LASWA recovers missing bodies in Lagos

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) on Thursday said the bodies of the remaining two victims of Tuesday’s boat mishap had been recovered.

A total of 13 out of the 18 persengers involved in the accident were rescued alive while three were confirmed dead and two declared missing.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the General Manager of LASWA, Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel told newsmen on Thursday in Lagos, that the bodies of the last two victims, a young adult and a youth were recovered at 8:30 am on Thursday.

Emmanuel condemned the reckless disregard to safety regulations by some boat operators.

He said the authority would not relent on its efforts to ensure full compliance with safety regulations by boat operators to make the waterways safe.

The LASWA boss said that the head-on collision which occurred at about 6:10pm, involved two passenger speed-boats along the creek in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Emmanuel said that there were 10 passengers in the boat from Ojo Jetty and eight passengers in the other from Irewe community when the incident occurred.

He said that the search and rescue operation was by relevant state agencies and the local community who were the first responders.

The general manager said that preliminary investigations by LASWA and LASEMA revealed that the incident was caused by reckless driving and over-speeding on the part of the boat captains.

He said that further investigations would be carried out by the authority and those found wanting would be sanctioned accordingly.

Boat accidents have become rampant on sea routes in Lagos, Nigeria’s crowded economic hub, with a June 29 incident claiming 17 lives.

The 20-passenger capacity unmarked boat with a 60″ Hp engine capsised after being hit by severe waves mid-sea en route Egbin Jetty in Ijede, Ikorodu at about 11:00pm with only three survivors.

Investigations carried out by LASWA on the tragedy revealed that the accident was caused by poor visibility and the fact that the passengers had no life jackets.

Also in July, 12 bodies were discovered while five were missing after a 20-passenger capacity unmarked boat with a 60″Hp engine,capsized after being hit by severe waves in Ijede at Ikorodu, near Lagos.