One sad incident happen for Rivers State today, Thursday, October 24, 2024, as helicopter wey dey carry eight passengers crash into river near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.
The helicopter, wey be Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, dey on its way from Port Harcourt Military Base to the NUIMANTAN oil rig when the accident happen around 11:22 am.
According to the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, three bodies don dey recovered so far, while search and rescue operations still dey ongoing to locate the remaining five passengers.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirm the incident through statement, saying emergency response teams don dey activated and search and rescue operations dey 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.
No Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was received, but manual efforts to determine the accident location dey underway. All available resources, including the military and low-flying aircraft, don dey deployed to assist in locating and rescuing any survivors.
Keyamo extend his condolences to the families of those on board and promise to provide necessary support during this difficult time.
