by ‘Jola Sotubo

One person has been confirmed dead while 9 other passengers were rescued after a boat capsized in Lagos.

The incident was said to have occurred on Monday at about 4pm between Ojo and Tin Can Island in the Apapa Local Government Area.

All passengers aboard the Coconut Island bound boat were said to be wearing life jackets but unfortunately one of them, an unidentified male, drowned anyway.

Vanguard reports:

He noted that they could not determine the cause of the incident, saying the boat was certified okay before leaving Tin Can shores.

It would be recalled that the state government, few months ago, received the report of the committee to investigate causes of boat mishap on the state waterways.

Confirming the mishap, Information Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the identity of the missing person was yet to be known, adding: “The body of the missing person is yet to be recovered. But I can assure you that we are still searching for it.”

On the cause of the mishap, Farinloye explained: “From my interview with the survivors, waves from four bigger boats that passed beside the boat at that time caused it to lose balance, and the passengers began to panic. This further caused the boat to capsize.”