…Says twelve lives lost
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has blamed the recent boat mishap in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State on failure of the operators to adhere to NIWA Safety guidelines which includes overloading of the boat, using dilapidated and old boat and failure to use life jackets by the passengers.
The Authority which made its position on the accident known in a statement issued in Lokoja yesterday by the General Manager Corporate Affairs, Mr. Tayo Fadile however assured that the present Management of the NIWA was working hard to ensure that such unfortunate incidents were reduce to the barest minimum.
On the number of casualties on the accident, NIWA clarified that “information made available to us by NIWA Area Manager in Minna who covers Kwara State, Surv. Abubakar M. Wathanafa visited the site of the boat mishap confirmed that twelve (12) people lost their lives, while two (2) were rescued and search and rescue efforts is still ongoing by the combine team of NIWA, Marine Police, Fire Service and Local divers”.
It therefore commiserated with the Government and People of Kwara State over the unfortunate incident while pledging the commitment of the Authority to continue to encourage boat users to use modern and safe water transportation mode on the nation’s waterways.
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