A boat with 26 passengers on board Wednesday capsized in Ikorodu area of Lagos State claiming the lives of eight persons.
Twelve of the passengers were however lucky as they survived the accident while six others are still missing.
The overturned boat belonging to Bell Marine Services was said to have taken off from Ebute-Ero jetty on the Lagos Island and was heading to Majidun jetty at Ikorodu when turbulent waves upturned it.
A combined team of emergency and rescue workers drawn from different agencies in the state who were mobilised to the scene of the accident rescued 20 persons, while the search is ongoing for the six remaining passengers, who have been declared missing.
Hours after they were rescued, however, eight of the passengers were said to have died from complications arising from hypothermia and shock.
Public Relations Officer, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-west, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident saying that rescue agencies received the information two hours after the accident occurred and quickly moved to the scene for the rescue operation.
“The boat capsized between Eko Bridge and Ikorodu waterways and at the end of the rescue operation, a total of 20 persons were rescued alive while we continued to search for the remaining persons who we gathered were onboard the boat.
“The figure of the missing persons is based on the assumption of the number of those on board as at the time of the incident.”
He lamented the lack of essential safety facilities, especially safety jackets and first aid in the craft, as well as the challenge of overloading of the craft.
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