Three bodies have been recovered, and five passengers are missing, in an incident described as a helicopter accident in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Thursday.
Newsonspot reports that Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, confirmed the incident on Thursday.
The helicopter, with registration detail 5NBQG, left the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the NUIMANTAN oil rig. It did not arrive at its destination.
“The Federal Ministry of Aviation has received the distressing report of a helicopter accident that occurred today, 24th October 2024, at about 11:22 am along the waterways in Port Harcourt,” said Odutayo Oluseyi, the ministry’s head of press and public relations, in a statement shared by Keyamo on his X handle.
“The helicopter, a Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, was en route from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the NUIMANTAN oil rig.
“The aircraft, with eight persons on board, 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.”
Rescuers had resorted to manual efforts as no information had been obtained through the helicopter’s emergency locator transmitter.
“Neighbouring aerodromes have also been notified for support. 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),” the statement read.
“So far, three bodies have been recovered.”
