No fewer than twenty people have reported lost their lives after two passenger boats capsized in Lagos on Monday night. The boats said to be conveying 16 passengers each, caved in after a collision at Imore Lagoon around 7 p.m. It was however unclear where the boats loaded and where they were headed at the time of the accident.
This development was confirmed by Police Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, revealing that 11 of the passengers were rescued with various degrees of injuries, and were rushed to Naval Town Hospital in Ojo for medical attention, while search and rescue operations were ongoing for the other victims.
Hundeyin said all 32 passengers and their goods drowned when the boats capsized, adding that it took the intervention of the police, local divers, and other emergency responders to rescue the 11.
He said the boats were unregistered, adding that a report about the accident was made at the Ilashe Police Division.
The statement read, “On October 7, 2024, at about 7 pm, a distress call was received at the Ilashe Division reporting that two unregistered passenger boats, each carrying 16 passengers, allegedly collided in the middle of the lagoon at Imore town. As a result, the boats capsized, and the passengers drowned along with their goods.
“Based on the report, teams of conventional and marine policemen, local divers, and other emergency responders were swiftly mobilized to the scene, where 11 passengers were rescued with injuries and rushed to the Naval Hospital in Navy Town, Alakija, for medical attention.”
Efforts to get comments from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) were unsuccessful as calls to the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Femi Osayintolu were unanswered.