Only three days after an unfortunate boat accident in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State killed two passengers, another boat accident occurred on Friday night in the Mile 2 area, leaving 16 people missing.
This comes as a massive flood hit several parts of Lagos State yesterday, killing at least five people in the Oyatoki area of Agege and displacing many residents.
Mrs Sarat Braimah, the Lagos State Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), confirmed the boat incident in a statement issued yesterday.
Braimah stated that 16 passengers on the ill-fated boat had yet to be found.
“On July 8, at approximately 7.45 p.m., the National Inland Waterways Authority and the Lagos State Waterways Authority received a distress call of an incident on the waterways.”
A W19 passenger Fibre boat carrying 16 people capsized in the state’s Ojo area.
“The boat travelling from Mile 2 to Ibeshe in the Ojo axis violated the waterways’ late travel rules by setting sail at 7.45 p.m.,” she explained.
According to Braimah, the tide drifted the boat to a stationary barge, causing it to overturn.
“It is claimed that not all passengers on board, including children, were wearing life jackets.”
The search and rescue team from the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were immediately dispatched to the scene but were unable to locate the boat for several hours.
“Efforts to locate the victims are still ongoing.”
“As of the time of this press release, the Boat Captain is also missing,” she said.
The boat is currently in the custody of Marine Police, according to Braimah.
Meanwhile, after about 48 hours of rain, a massive flood hit several parts of the state over the weekend, sweeping away at least five people in Agege’s Oyatoki area and displacing many residents.
Among the key areas flooded were Egbeda, Idimu, Ipaja, Festac, Lekki, Ikeja, Ogba, and Victoria Island, prompting affected residents to mock the state government on social media.
Vehicles were stranded in the flood, commuters were trapped at bus terminals, small businesses were disrupted, and residents bemoaned the flood’s devastation.
As a result, there was constant human and vehicular traffic along Awolowo road in Ikeja, Akowonjo road in Egbeda, the old Oko-Oba road in Agege, Liasu road in Idimu, Herbert Macaulay in Yaba, Allen Avenue in Ikeja, Lawanson road in Surulere, the entire Festac, Opebi, Lekki, and significant parts of Alimosho.
While residents blamed the disaster on the state’s inadequate drainage infrastructure, Mr Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, blamed it on Lagos’ geographical feature of being surrounded by massive bodies of water in all cardinal directions.
Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Zonal Coordinator, South-west, disclosed yesterday that five people were swept away by flood in the Oyatoki area of Agege.
According to Farinloye, the incident involved two vehicles: a Lexus jeep carrying three people and a Toyota with three people.
He emphasised that six people were swept away when rainwater overflowed an unfinished canal in the area, but that three of the victims were rescued and two were still missing.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government expressed its condolences to residents of the state over heavy flash flooding in some areas of the state in a statement issued yesterday by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr Kunle Adeshina.
According to the statement, the commissioner, Bello, said that flash flooding on Old Oko Oba Road occurred as a result of 10 hours of nonstop rain, which caused the Oko Oba Canal Channel, which is currently being expanded, to overflow.
He stated that the state government “has always advised motorists and residents to be cautious and refrain from wading through flood waters during heavy rainfalls, primarily due to the dangers inherent in it.”
He went on to say that the contractor in charge of the expansion project “has been slowed down by the intensity of the rains in recent weeks, but is committed to completing the project.”
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“Because of the state’s coastal nature, flooding is unavoidable when there is heavy rainfall, particularly when the rainfall began on Friday with high intensity and has not abated for more than 36 hours.”
He claimed that all of the bodies of water into which the channels, including the Oko Oba channel, would deliver had risen and would only recede hours after the rain stopped.
Bello urged residents to be cautious because Lagos will continue to experience heavy rains until the end of August, and that all residents and motorists should avoid having to wade through floodwaters while it is raining.
He also urged everyone in the state who lives in wetland, depressed, or low land to be cautious of rising water levels and to be prepared to relocate to higher ground during heavy rains to protect their lives and property.
