Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, Managing Director, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) confirmed the development in a statement issued to newsmen.

The statement said 19 passengers in the boat were rescued, while one of passenger lost her life.

It said the passenger boat, identified as SEALINK, was travelling from Ikorodu to CMS.

It said the incident occurred at about 9.30 a.m when the boat hit a submerged object.

The statement said the 19 passengers were taken to Ebute Ero Jetty from where they were transferred to the hospital.

It added that the agency was investigating the cause of the accident.

“LASWA emergency response team recovered the remains of a female passenger (identified as a police officer attached to zone two police station).

“The corpse was handed over to 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 retreive get the submerged wooden boat off the navigable channel, “ the statement said.

According to the statement, the crew members of the boat have been taken to police custody for further investigation.

It said the government commiserated with the family of the deceased passenger, adding that government would not relent in coming up with policies and programmes that would ensure safety on the waterways. (NAN)
LCO/AEA