Lagos State government yesterday said five of the 20 passengers and two
crew members of a commercial boat belonging to the Bayeku Ferry
Association travelling from Oke Ira Nla, Ajah to Bayeku in Ikorodu who
were earlier rushed to a hospital, died while 17 others were rescued
alive.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, Mrs Abisola Kamson.
She
said upon receiving the notification of the accident, the authority’s
water guards were immediately deployed to the scene to assist in rescue
efforts.She confirmed that all passengers on board were wearing life
jackets.
The LASWA boss said preliminary investigation by the
Authority revealed that aside the mechanical fault that developed when
the steering cable connected to the engine propeller cut, the captain of
the boat was possibly also over-speeding, adding that he is presently
being questioned by the Marine Police.
A survivor, Yusuf Adekoya
told Vanguard that the 20 passengers were mandated to wear life jackets
but the boat was not in a good condition.
‘’Before we left
Oke-Ira jetty, the engine could not start and the operator battled so
much with it for about ten minutes. On noticing this, we advised him to
change the boat but he assured us of safety.
On starting the
engine, he sped off but minutes into the journey, the engine stopped
working and this increased our apprehension and we started asking
questions but he reluctantly broke the news that the engine was hooked.
Vanguard
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