Following a boat accident on Saturday along the Ojo area of Lagos state, no less than sixteen passengers are still unaccounted for.
In a statement, the Lagos State Waterways Authority stated that the boat departed from Mile 2 and was traveling toward Ibeche in the Ojo axis.
In part, the statement said, “On July 8, 2022, at around 7.45 p.m., the National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.
A W19 passenger fiber boat that was carrying 16 people capsized near the state’s Ojo region.
The statement claims that the captain violated the waterway regulations by sailing in the evening without providing life jackets for the passengers.
“The boat going from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in the Ojo axis broke the waterways rules of late travel by setting sail at 7 p.m.,” the statement continued.
“As he set out, the tide drifted the boat to a stationary barge, causing the boat to overturn.” According to reports, “all passengers on board, including children, were not all wearing life jackets.”
“The LASWA, National Inland Waterways, Nigerian Marine Police, and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency were immediately mobilised to the scene of the incident but could only find the boat after several hours while efforts to locate the victims are still ongoing.”
