Barely three days after a 20-passenger boat ferrying 17 persons capsized and two persons died on Lagos water channel, another passenger boat carrying 16 persons late Friday night capsized with all passenger onboard declared missing.

A press statement on Saturday by the General Manager, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) in Lagos, Sarat Braimah, said the passenger boat was sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, Ojo, in Lagos state, adding that the boat broke the waterways rules of late travelling by sailing at 7.45pm.

According to her, the tide of the water drifted the boat to a stationary barge, which caused the boat to overturn.

“At about 7.45 today the 8th of July 2022, The National Inland Waterways Authority and Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.

“A W19 passenger fibre boat carrying 16 persons capsized 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 it 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 include children were not all putting on their life jackets,” she said.

She said that NIWA, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), mobilised to the scene of the incident.

Sun