Eastwind Aviation’s 5N-BQG helicopter crashed one kilometer from its intended location on Thursday, according to reports.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) was the one who hired it.
After taking off from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN oil rig, it crashed among the waterways in the capital of Rivers State at approximately 11:22 a.m.
Eight people were reportedly on board the airplane when the incident occurred, however three people were pronounced deceased after the crash.
Only a day after the collision, the NSIB reported that three more people were still missing and that further dead had been found.
Speaking on Channels TV, NSIB Director General Alex Badeh stated, “We have retrieved two more bodies, making it a total of five. There are three more down there that hopefully will be recovered today.”
“Unfortunately,” Badeh remarked in response to a question about the likelihood that no one on board the plane survived the accident. That is the working theory this time.
He stated that it will take days to recover the aircraft wreckage and that investigators are currently en route to the accident area.
There is a “chance” that some of the people on board the plane may still be alive, he said, but “the priority is to recover the rest of the bodies there.”
“People are strong and resilient. “There’s a chance we might find survivors there as long as they have their life support devices,” Badeh said.
According to Badeh, “there was so light and moderate rain on their arrival and there was an overcast,” yet the cause of the incident is still unknown. We would investigate that. That may have an opportunity or a part to play.
“Until we retrieve the flight recorder and talk to further witnesses there, I really can’t say anything else.
