17 passengers rescued in Lagos boat mishap

At least 17 passengers were on Saturday rescued in a boat mishap at Ebute Ero in Lagos Island.

The ferry, a privately owned GT Water Line 4, capsized 20 minutes after it took off at the Ebute-Ero Terminal.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, who confirmed the incident in a statement, said the boat left Lagos Island for Ikorodu at 5:15 p.m. with 17 passengers, comprising 14 males and three females.

He said the LASWA patrol team and other boat operators swiftly responded to the distress call from the boat and rescued all the passengers, including two minors.

Emmanuel said: “Apparently all the passengers were wearing life jackets which aided the rescue operation.

READ ALSO: Two die, four missing in Lagos boat mishap

“The boat and its captain have been taken to custody for further investigation to unravel the cause of the accident and necessary actions.

“To forestall a recurrence of such incident, LASWA has once again warned all boat operators to always adhere strictly to safety measures while advising all waterways users to ensure the use of life jackets at all time when boarding a boat.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now