LASWA yet to recover two bodies in Lagos boat mishap

The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) says it has yet to recover the bodies of two persons involved in a boat accident at Irewe Community in Ojo, near Lagos late on Tuesday.

The General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that rescue operation was still ongoing.

“We have not recovered their bodies, though rescue efforts to recover them are still on,” Mr Emmanuel said.

He said the unfortunate incident, which occurred at 6:10p.m., involved two passenger speed boats having a head-on collision along the creek in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos State.

Mr Emmanuel recalled that on Tuesday, 13 people were rescued alive in the incident, while three others were confirmed dead.

He said there were 10 passengers in a boat coming from Ojo Jetty and eight passengers in another one coming from Irewe community when the incident happened.

The LASWA general manager said the yet-to-be recovered bodies include that of an adult and a child.

Mr Emmanuel, who frowned at the reckless disregard to safety regulations by some boat operators, said the authority would not relent on its efforts to ensure full compliance.

According to him, boat operators must desist from excessive speed and flouting of regulations.

He said the search and rescue operations were ongoing by relevant state agencies and the local community who were the first responders.

The general manager said that preliminary investigations by LASWA and LASEMA revealed that the incident was caused by reckless driving and speeding on the part of the two boat captains.

Mr Emmanuel said that one of the boat captains was not in his right way.

He said further investigations would be carried out by the authority, adding that those found wanting would be sanctioned accordingly. (NAN)