1st July, 2015
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Six children have drowned and nine others rescued as a fibre boat ran into a canoe at Ojo area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
The boat was said to be conveying 14 children and the driver when the tragedy occurred around 9:00 am on Wednesday. The six children are still missing as others were rescued.
General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu confirmed the incident. He said the tragedy occurred at Irewe area when a fibre boat collided with a canoe conveying 14 children to their destination.
Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that eight children and the driver had been rescued alive, with five of them taken to the Igando General Hospital and three discharged to go back home.
He said six other children were still missing and that rescue operation was still on to remove the children from the water.
According to him, “at Ojo Local Government, Irewe area, a fibre boat ran into a canoe carrying 14 children around 9am. Eight of the children and the canoe driver have been rescued. Five have been taken to Igando General Hospital for treatment, three have been discharged home while six passengers are still missing. Rescue operation continues.”
The LASEMA boss lamented that the children were not wearing life jackets when the accident occurred, noting that, the rescue operation was carried out by the Local Emergency Committee led by the Executive Secretary of Ojo Local Government.
He stated that LASEMA officials and others were still combing the water to see if they could get the other children.
Oke-Osanyintolu appealed to water transport operators to always provide life jackets for passengers in order to minimise loss of life whenever there is boat mishap.