Scene of the boat tragedy
Tragedy
struck as Muslims celebrated the Sallah festival. At least five people
have been confirmed dead and 17 others rescued as a ferry conveying 20
passengers and two crew member capsized at Ikorodu area of Lagos,
Southwest Nigeria on Saturday.
PM NEWS gathered that the ferry capsized at Bayeku, Igbogbo area of Ikorodu Waterways.
After
the accident, a distress call was relayed to the Lagos State Command
and Control Centre at about 1:29pm on Saturday about an hour 30 minutes
after the incident.
According to information made available to the
Agency’s Emergency Response Team by the Head of Operations Lagos State
Inland Water Ways Authority, 20 passengers were on board along with two
crew members (the captain and his assistant) before the mishap.
General
Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael
Akindele confirmed that 15 passengers and 2 crew members were rescued by
local fishermen around Bayeku Jetty, Igbogbo.
He added that four
of the people rescued were taken to” Micai Hospital at Bayeku Oduloye
bus stop as three of them are presently responding to treatment while
one had been confirmed dead.
He said seven others among the
rescued passengers were taken to Ikorodu General Hospital where four
were confirmed dead, as two others were treated and discharged and one
is presently receiving treatment and is in a critical condition.
“In
all, 17 people were rescued, which include two crew members and 15
passengers and five confirmed dead (four adult male and one female).
Investigation
revealed that the boat was not in a good condition while the Captain
who was said to be inexperienced, was over-speeding when the boat
developed some fault in its steering and thereafter capsized.
According
to Akindele, the boat being an enclosed one further exacerbated the
chances of survivors, disclosing that the captain of the boat had since
been arrested and being questioned by Marine police from Awolowo Road,
Ikoyi.
SOURCE