Eight Killed In Helicopter Crash In Bonny Island

The Federal Ministry of Aviation said a Sikorsky SK76 with eight on board, with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, en route from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the NUIMANTAN oil rig has crashed into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.

The ministry said it received the distress report at about 11.22 am on Thursday along the waterways in Port Harcourt.

According to Odutayo Oluseyi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the helicopter ditched into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has been notified and emergency response teams were immediately activated, and search and rescue operations are ongoing with the support of the Nigerian Search and Rescue Unit, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and other relevant agencies. Neighbouring aerodromes have also been notified for support”, Oluseyi said in the statement.

While no Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was received, manual efforts to plot the location of the accident are underway, and all available resources, including the military and low-flying aircraft, have been deployed to assist in locating and rescuing any survivor(s). So far, three bodies have been recovered.

He said rescue operations involving all relevant agencies are ongoing to ensure a coordinated response and to minimise casualties from this unfortunate incident.