A fishing boat transporting seven passengers from Makoko community to Offin in Ikorodu capsized on Monday, leaving two of the passengers dead.

This was contained in a statement released by Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, the General Manager of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).

Four passengers were rescued, two passengers died while a passenger is missing from the Ibeshe fishing boat mishap, LASWA said.

The boat had two toddlers on board but the agency did not say if the toddlers were the casualties of the accident.

"A boat mishap occurred at about 7p.m. today Monday the 31st of August 2020, around Offin Ibeshe Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

"According to the report given, a fishing boat from Makoko Community with Seven(7) passengers onboard Five (5 )Adults including the boat captain and Two (2) Toddlers capsized into the Lagos lagoon while heading to Offin area in Ikorodu," the agency said.

The cause of the incident was the rough water current usually recorded around the area, the agency said.

The first responder to the incident was a passenger ferry that witnessed the incident before the arrival of LASWA rescue team, the agency said.

"Inquiries reveal that the Fishing boat which was clearly operating outside its fishing capability and therefore not equipped with necessary safety gadgets for passenger ferry operation carried the occupants who are all related and headed to Offin for a relative's funeral," the statement contained.

LASWA added that all the passengers on board were not wearing a life jacket.

Officials of the emergency agency, LASEMA, and the Marine Police have been contacted to support the ongoing search operation for the remaining victim while further investigation is ongoing.

Series of Mishaps

Several boat accidents have been recorded in the last few months on Lagos waterways, leading to many deaths.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how 12 passengers lost their lives in a boat accident that occurred on July 29 at Kirikiri area of the state.

According to the police, the boat which was conveying 20 passengers drifted to a stationery barge and capsized, after an argument ensued between the boat driver and passengers over N300 difference in boat charges.

Similarly, seven passengers lost their lives when a boat capsized at Ipakodo area on July 6, while another set of five passengers died when a commercial boat enroute Ikorodu area of Lagos capsized on July 4.

Following frequent boat mishaps on Lagos waterways, the Lagos Safety Commission said it has deployed 48 safety marshals to the waterways to ensure safety of lives and compliance to protocols.

Monday's incident occurred despite that deployment indicating the challenge of enforcement of such protocols in Nigeria's commercial capital.