The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says that 13 more bodies have been recovered from the ill-fated boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos.
The Zone Coordinator, South West, NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Farinloye said that a total of 17 bodies has been recovered so far from the recovery operations of the missing victims.
”Late yesterday night, two more bodies were recovered in addition to the two earlier recovered in the morning.
“With this, it has become a total of 15 bodies recovered.
“It is likely that two more bodies have been sighted, but until the final recovery is done, no confirmation can be made now,” Farinloye said.
The coordinator said that illegal both operators plying the waterways beyond the stipulated official hours led to these avoidable deaths.
He said that the act is a gross violation of the regulations of the waterways guidelines for operators.
“It was revealed that the regulatory bodies have tried to stamp out illegal operations of small boat operators who hardly use life jackets after official hours.
“But they do not heed to efforts put in place to stop them
“It was also observed that wooden boats are not permitted to be used as passenger boat.
“But it is only at this odd hours the illegal operators’ always put the lives of unsuspecting passengers at risk,’’ Farinloye said.
He said that efforts are on the motion to address the gaps with all stakeholders such as the Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service and the Association of Boat/Ferry Operators of Nigeria.
Other stakeholders included the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA),Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), NEMA and the Marine Police.
