Lagos Witness Another Boat Disaster (3rd in Three Months)

At least one person has been confirmed dead, while eight others were rescued alive after a commercial boat capsized on the Victoria Island area of Lagos State on Saturday evening.

This is the third boat mishap in the state in less than three months.

In March, about a dozen people died in FESTAC, while nine others perished in April in the Oworonshoki area.

It was learnt that the Saturday mishap happened around 8pm after the boat hit an object in the water.

The passengers, mostly fun seekers, were said to be returning from the Ilasha Beach.

A rescue officer, who pleaded anonymity said, “The fun seekers were coming from the Ilasha Beach when the boat capsized around Bonny Camp at about 8pm. There were nine people on board. We were able to rescue eight of them alive, but the ninth person, a lady, died.”

Our correspondent gathered that the passengers wore live jackets, and floated, making it easy for rescue officials to sight them.

The deceased, who was identified as Claire, however, died after sustaining injuries to her head.

Another source said, “The lady hit her head against something when the boat capsized and that was why she could not make it. She died while on the way to the hospital.”

The General Manger of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the surviving victims were taken to the Lagos Island Hospital for treatment and were discharged after they were certified fit.

Oke-Osanyintolu said, “The sad incident occurred under the bridge by Bonny Camp, Victoria Island, with nine people on board. Eight of them were rescued alive, while a lady named Claire died before getting to the Lagos Island General Hospital.

“She died as a result of the injury sustained when the boat tumbled. Four of them were treated and discharged immediately.

He said a comprehensive investigation would be carried out by the appropriate government agencies to ascertain the cause of the accident and make recommendations to avert future recurrence.

The Managing Director of the Lagos State Water Agency, Mr. Olayinka Marinho, told our correspondent on the telephone that the passengers travelled at an odd hour when the water conditions could be unpredictable.

He said, “Ideally, people should not be travelling at night when it can be dangerous. That is why when things like this happen, we should know where to apportion the blame. The water current around that side can be turbulent and we need to be careful.”