Four people were found dead and one person was declared missing after an ill-fated speed boat capsized in a riverine area in southwestern Nigeria's Lagos State, residents who launched a rescue operation said on Monday.
Local security sources said the boat mishap was being investigated as rescue operation continued in Oke-Ira axis of Ikorodu, where the incident occurred.
The accident was caused by boisterous water waves, according to Musbau Akinsanya, an eyewitness.
The eyewitness said the ill-fated speed boat, with 22 passengers on board, was hit from the rear by an oncoming boat. This caused the boat, which headed toward Bayeku, another riverine community, to capsize, he said.
Yinka Olowu, a rescue volunteer, said 17 persons have been rescued so far, while four bodies have been found. One other passenger was yet to be found, he added.
He said the four dead bodies were identified as those of some furniture-makers who had gone to ply their trade in Ajah, a community near the Lagos lagoon.
No official statement has been issued on the incident, especially by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) which takes charge of emergency cases in the West African country.
A Xinhua reporter in the Nigerian commercial hub said the Lagos State Waterways Agency has, however, summoned Oke'ra Nla Boat Association, joint owners of the boat, for questioning, to help speed up the investigation by local police.