TheCable

A policewoman attached to zone 2 of the Lagos state police command was killed while 19 persons were rescued in a boat mishap which occurred in the Oworonshoki end of third mainland bridge area of Lagos state.

Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, managing director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), who confirmed this in a statement, said the tragic incident occurred around 9:30am on Tuesday.

The passenger boat identified as SEALINK was said to be travelling from Ikorodu to CMS when it was hit by a submerged object.

Emmanuel said the 19 persons rescued were taken to Ebute Ero Jetty from where they were transferred to the hospital.

“A passenger boat named SEALINK with 20 passengers and two crew onboard coming from Ikorodu to CMS ran over a submerged wooden boat close to Third Mainland Bridge. 19 passengers were carried to safety to Ebute Ero Jetty,” he said.

“The LASWA emergency response team recovered a female body (identified as a police officer attached to Zone Two police station) and handed over the corpse to the Marine Police. Her husband is an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).

“The submerged SEALINK Boat has been salvaged and towed to a secure location off the waterways. Salvaging Operations is also taking place to get the submerged wooden boat off the navigable channel.”

Emmanuel added that the crew members of the boat company had been arrested.

He commiserated with the family of the deceased and assured the people of the state that government would not relent in coming up with policies and programmes aimed at ensuring safety on the waterways.