A combined team of emergency and rescue workers drawn from different agencies in Lagos State on Friday rescued three persons including a baby and the mother from a capsized boat. This is just as further rescue operation is ongoing to recover the bodies of three other persons, including one Raheem Taiwo Ishola, who were alleged to be in the capsized boat too.
The incident which happened at Ogogoro village, Boulos, Navy Town, Apapa, Lagos, had rescue workers drawn from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigerian Navy Special Boat Services (SBS), National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA) and the Police Disaster Response Unit.
Confirming the incident, the NEMA spokesperson, South-west Zone, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the rescued persons included a child, a woman and the boat operator, amongst several others.
He said the incident happened at the wee hours of the morning when the canoe conveying the woman and her child, which was traveling without headlights, was run over by a bigger boat.
Although he said the survivours were taken to an undisclosed private hospital in Apapa, he said the agency stormed the area and helped rescue operation.
He said, "The passengers were in the boat with the canoe operator and they were paddling in the dark without any light to warn any oncoming vessel or boat.
"So, the bigger boat didn't see them and ran them over. Although they fell into the lagoon, some of them were rescued alive."
He added, "Initially, we were made to believe that it was only three persons in the capsized boat and we were working with that figure.
"But later, a friend of one of the rescued persons called to say that they were 10 persons in the boat and we had to expand our search.
"As at now, one of the missing persons was identified as Raheem Taiwo Ishola and we were also able to gather that the boat and its passengers were coming from Coconut area to Ojo before the incident occurred.
"Therefore, the SBS, NEMA, NIWA and Police Disaster Unit are to continue in the search because earlier on, there were conflicting reports of figures of people in the boat from three to seven until now that we gathered that the actual figure is 10."
Meanwhile, another false alert was sent to the emergency workers from Irewe highland, which is about 45 minutes journey from Navy Town on a speed boat, about another boat mishap in the afternoon.
Farinloye said the agency stormed the area and after investigation, found out that it was a false alert, adding that they withdrew after they paid a visit to the king's palace to confirm the alert.
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