Officials in Nigeria have confirmed the death of nine people in a boat accident in Lagos on Sunday.
The nine were part of passengers who were traveling in a boat which capsized due to what the government said was due to overcrowding.
Four other passengers sustained injuries in the accident.
A statement from the government said “An unfortunate incident occurred at Ilashe today… arising from overloading of passengers on a banana boat taking off from an illegal jetty which has become a perennial issue of the Lagos state government to rid our waterfront areas of illegal operators.”
“We sympathise with the families of the deceased as nine lives were lost in the mishap and four people (are) receiving treatment in the hospital,” the statement added.
Traveling on boats is common in communities in Lagos as it has become a significant means of traveling to work, school among others.
Boat accidents are therefore common with the city recording a similar disaster last year which claimed seven lives.
Source: Africafeeds.com
