Eight dead in Lagos boat tragedy

Eight people have been killed after a passenger ferry hit a rock and capsized off Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos.

A pregnant bride-to-be and her fiance were killed, along with another expectant mother, a small girl and four men, when a passenger boat sank in Lagos, Nigeria's emergency services say.

The group were killed when the boat capsized after hitting a rock Wednesday evening, Ibrahim Farinloye of the National Emergency Management Agency told AFP.

"Eight people lost their lives while we were able to rescue 12 others," he said.

One of the two pregnant women who died was due to get married in 10 days' time. Her fiance also lost his life, Farinloye said.

The incident was the second in three weeks in the waters in and around Nigeria's biggest city, which is surrounded by lagoons and the Atlantic Ocean.

The small, privately owned passenger ferry had launched from the Ebute-Ero neighbourhood in southern Lagos and was headed north across a lagoon towards Ikorodu when the collision occurred.

Twenty passengers were on board.

Last month, an overloaded wooden boat capsized in the Festac Town area of the city, killing 13 while six others had to be rescued. The boat had capacity for only 12 passengers.

Overloading on such vessels is common, as operators often seek to maximise their profits while downplaying safety concerns.

Lagos officials have been trying to promote ferry travel to help ease traffic in the congested megacity of more than 20 million people, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

But commuters have been reluctant to embrace water travel, partly because of safety fears.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP

Tags

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Eight dead in Lagos boat tragedy | SBS News