The body of a photographer who was inside the vehicle that plunged into the Lagos lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday has been recovered.
This comes days after the body of the female driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was retrieved by local divers and rescue officials.
The crash occurred around 5:11 a.m. near the Rapid Response Squad checkpoint inward Iyana Oworo, Ebute Meta. Confirming the recovery on Wednesday, Lagos Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said: “The second victim’s body was recovered yesterday (Tuesday).”
However, outrage has trailed the handling of the rescue effort. Eyewitnesses alleged that the driver’s body was only retrieved after her family paid N400,000 to fishermen before they agreed to dive into the lagoon.
In an open letter to the Lagos State Government, a social media user, @dee-ah, expressed disappointment:
“Yesterday, tragedy struck close to home. We lost a promising young lady, the niece of my best friend, in a car accident that resulted in the car plunging into the lagoon. The circumstances of the crash remain unclear, but what is more painful is the response that followed. LASTMA and Marine Police were at the scene, but there was no meaningful rescue effort.”
She added that the grieving family had to depend on local fishermen, who demanded money before recovering the victim’s body.
“They identified the exact spot where the car was, but before they would act, they demanded N400,000 to dive into the lagoon. In their grief, the family paid, not because they were bargaining, but because they simply wanted her body back for a proper burial,” she lamented.
She urged the Lagos State Government to empower, train, and equip local divers and fishermen as first responders in emergencies to prevent similar tragedies.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service earlier confirmed the incident, describing it as a self-accident involving a Toyota Camry with registration number LSR 384 BE.
Meanwhile, tributes have continued to pour in online for the victims, including the photographer identified as “Chado” by members of Lagos’ skateboarding community.
Instagram user Olori Elizabeth posted: “Our heartfelt condolences to the family. We urge the government to bridge aid gaps so that such incidents do not recur.”
Another user, @Orekelomo, described Nigeria’s emergency response as “poor,” adding: “This is the reason I stopped taking the boat to work after ten years of surviving it.”
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