Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has appealed to fun-seekers to prioritise safety at the coastline as they relax during the festive period.
On Boxing Day, some fun lovers drowned at the Barracuda Beach at Abraham Adesanya Bus Stop in the Ajah area of Lagos State.
This prompted the agency to embark on the search for the corpses of the victims, and it eventually recovered two bodies.
It was gathered that an adult male was about to drown on the beach on Monday when two adults were trying to rescue a swimmer when the high tide of the ocean swept them away.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene of the incident, as LASEMA narrated, the victims swam beyond the red flag, which wasn’t safe for them to engage in the rescue.
The agency formed a joint search party with Lagos State Waterways, local divers, and other stakeholders under the supervision of the Director of Operations, Mr Olatunde Akinsanya, for successful rescue operations.
The next day, the team found one body out of the two bodies at the seashore of a neighbouring community, Okun Mopo. The corpse was bagged and handed over to his relatives.
Subsequently, on the third day of the search and rescue, Wednesday, December 28, the second body was discovered at the same Okun Mopo and was handed over to the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) for onward transfer to the morgue.
While sympathising with the families of the deceased, the Permanent Secretary for LASEMA, Mr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, urged residents to be safety cautious as they celebrate the yuletide.
He said they could call on the emergency toll-free number 112/767 if they are faced with life-threatening issues because the safety of lives and properties is paramount to the state government.
He said when at beaches, Lagosians must be cautious, warning them to desist from swimming beyond the red flag hoisted at beaches which signals danger.
