A boat capsized near the Third Mainland Bridge near the Bariga ferry terminal in Lagos State on Monday, killing 17 people.
The passengers were on their way to Ebute Ero from the state’s Ikorodu area when the incident occurred.
While confirming the incident, the Lagos State Waterways Authority stated that its officers and some first responders rescued the passengers.
According to a LASWA statement, “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, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, the agency’s General Manager, stated that 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.”
