The corpse of an eight-year-old, Funmilayo Balogun, who was among the missing passengers in the boat that capsized in the Badagry area of Lagos State on Saturday, has been recovered.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the remains were discovered around 11am on Sunday and had been released to the family.
Emergency workers were said to still be searching for one other person.
Our correspondent had reported that a fibre boat took off on Saturday from Ebute Iworo Jetty en route to Daddilowe in Badagry, when the crash occurred around 11am.
It was learnt that the boat crashed against a log on the river.
While eight people were rescued alive, two people were feared dead.
The spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency, South-West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the agency discovered that the missing passengers were children, and not adults.
He said, “We gathered that the boat operator carried eight people from the jetty and it is not clear where he picked the other two passengers from. Eight people were rescued alive and emergency workers attended to them and discharged them immediately.
“The operator of the canoe actually fled the scene immediately the crash occurred. We found out that the missing passengers were children and not adults as we earlier thought.
“Around 11am on Sunday, we found the corpse of the eight-year-old floating on the river and it had been released to the family for burial. We have intensified search for the last victim and as soon as we see him, we will let you know.”
It was learnt that the jetty chairman, who had been arrested by the Marine Police in connection with the incident, had been released.
The Badagry incident is the second in a week, after a commercial boat capsized in the Ikorodu area of the state on Saturday, January 30, claiming seven lives.
The Managing Director of the Lagos State Waterways Authority, Abisola Kamson, did not pick her calls and had yet to respond to a text message sent to her mobile phone as of the time of filing this report.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the development, adding that effort was on to recover the other misssing victim.
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