The Emergency responders from the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) rescued 17 passengers whose boat capsized in the early hours of Monday, February 20th, 2023.
The passengers were heading to Ebute Ero from the Ikorodu area of the state when the incident happened.
The rescue was confirmed through a statement issued by it’s agency.
The statement reads in part: ”At about 7am, on Monday, February 20, 2023, a commercial 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”.
However, LASWA confirmed that all the passengers were rescued alive by first responders of the agency.
“Boat recovery operations commenced immediately, while the boat captain is being interrogated and investigation is ongoing,” the statement confirmed.
Meanwhile, the agency’s General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, said 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.”
