Two passengers have died after a ferry capsized on Lagos waters Wednesday morning.
The boat had 17 passengers on board and was moving workers on their way from Ikorodu town to Victoria island when the accident happened.
One of the passengers said boat operators mobilized as emergency responders and rescued them.
Two were unconscious after they were brought on shore and were confirmed dead at the Ikorodu General Hospital.
Eight others were treated at the same hospital and seven had been discharged by 10 am.
Two of the passengers who were unhurt blamed the captain of the boat for the mishap.
“The only thing was that he was not focused. We had not even moved up to three minutes – we could still see the jetty – but what we noticed was that he was looking back while he was on top speed.
“He was trying to maneuver the steering, but by the time he put the thing on gear to go on top speed, as he was also about to turn the steering, that was when the thing (boat) tumbled.
“Immediately it tumbled, the thing just capsized and we went inside the water immediately,” one of them said.
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) said the captain has been arrested.
A statement by its General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel blamed the incident on “mechanical fault” but said an investigation has started.
“At about 7:45 am (today) the 6th of July 2022, a 20-passenger ferry boat carrying 17 passengers named “R & N 2” suddenly capsized due to mechanical fault less than 200 meters from the terminal and submerged immediately after it departed the Ipakodo ferry terminal in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State,” the statement read.
“The boat captain is currently being investigated by the relevant authorities while a full investigation into the cause of this mishap is ongoing as of the time of this press release.”