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A 10-seater passenger boat capsized yesterday at the Ibasa operational area of Inland Waterways in Lagos, claiming the life of one the passengers and leaving others with varying degrees of injuries.
The passenger boat was said to have capsized along the Tin Can—Kirikiri water channel, and the survivors who were rescued by local divers are currently being hospitalised at an undisclosed medical facility in Ojo area of the state.
THISDAY gathered that the boat took off from Ojo area at about 12.15pm and was heading towards Tin Can—Coconut area when it ran into a huge wave created by a bigger commercial vessel.
According to an eyewitness account, the incident would not have happened but for the reckless act of the operator who attempted to out run the bigger boat at sea.
It was also learnt that it was the high wave that threw the boat high into the sky before it landed on its side spilling all the passengers and its cargo into the water.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the National Emergency Agency (NEMA), South-west, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the body of the deceased passenger was yet to be recovered.
He said: "It was a 10-passenger boat and the incident happened between Ojo and Tin Can Island when the boat was on its way to Coconut Island.
"Many lives were saved because all the passengers wore life saving jackets. As at now, we are yet to determine the cause of the incident.
"There were four bigger boats passing and the wave from the sea destabilised the boat but as the operator was struggling to stabilise the boat, passengers panicked and started struggling, which caused the boat to capsize.
"Those who could swim swam to nearby island, while few others were rescued by a combined team of fishermen and locals."
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