Seventeen (17) persons escaped death after a boat capsized on Monday near Third Mainland Bridge close to the Bariga ferry terminal in Lagos State.
The passengers were heading to Ebute Ero from the Ikorodu area of the state when the incident happened.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority, while confirming the incident, said its officers and some first responders rescued the passengers.
A statement by LASWA read, “At about 7am on Monday, February 20, 2023, a commercial passenger ferry named Fazma Logistics, loaded with 17 passengers, left Ikorodu ferry terminal at exactly 6.45 am en route Ebute Ero but unfortunately capsized around the Third Mainland Bridge close to Bariga ferry terminal.
“All the passengers were rescued alive by first responders including officers of the Lagos State Waterways Authority.
“Boat recovery operations commenced immediately while the boat captain is being interrogated and investigation is ongoing.”
Meanwhile, the agency’s General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said preliminary investigations revealed that the accident was caused by a submerged object.
“The incident occurred as a result of a submerged object. That is what we have discovered so far. There are several investigations still ongoing,” he added.
Emmanuel also promised to sanction boat captains that are accused of speeding.
He said, “Cases of boat captains accused of speeding should also be reported. If you see something, say something. There are also cases of passengers who complain of being in a hurry and ask the boat captains to hurry up so that they can get to their locations quickly.
“So, it happens both ways. But if there are complaints about the boat drivers, we need evidence. Thank God for technology, we can record videos of what is happening in the boat. If we catch any of them, we will deal with them appropriately.”
