Kunle Awosiyan |

No fewer than six pupils were drowned when a canoe conveying them to school capsized  at Irawe area of Ojo, Lagos State on Wednesday.

Hallmark News gathered that there were  14 school children in the boat but six of them were drowned  while eight others, including the driver, were rescued.

The incident, which  occurred at about 9 am was a narrow miss between a  fibre canoe and the passenger boat, leading to a tragedy.

The rescued children , had since been taken to Igando General Hospital for treatment while rescue mission was still going on to bring out the six drowned pupils.

Confirming the incident, LASEMA’s General Manager, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the tragedy occurred at Irawe area when a fibre boat collided with a canoe conveying 14 children to their destination.

Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that eight children and the driver had been rescued alive, with five of them taken to Igando General Hospital and three discharged.

He said six other children were still missing and that rescue operation was still on to remove the children from the water.

The General Manager lamented that the children were not putting on live jacket when the accident occurred, saying the rescue operation was carried out by the Local Emergency Committee, led by the Executive Secretary of Ojo Local Government Area.

He added that LASEMA officials and others were still combing the water to see if they could get the other children.

South-West spokesperson for National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, also confirmed the incident.

He said: “The 14 school children were being conveyed across Ojo to Irawe jetty. Six children are yet to be recovered as I speak. Searches will continue tomorrow (today).”