Helicopter Crash: Nigeria still searching for missing bodies, wreckage

The NNPC Ltd said the helicopter lost contact while flying from Port Harcourt to its Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Antan oil production facility.

Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, on Friday, said divers deployed to recover the remaining bodies and wreckage from the Port Harcourt helicopter crash that occurred on Thursday are yet to find any.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the accident involving a Sikorsky SK76c helicopter with registration number 5N-BQG, operated by East Wind Aviation in Rivers State.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) said the helicopter lost contact while flying from Port Harcourt to its Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Antan oil production facility.

There were eight people in the helicopter and the bodies of three of them have been recovered, the NNPC said.

On Friday, Mr Keyamo, in a brief statement posted on his official X page, said that divers deployed are still working to find the remaining bodies and wreckage over 24 hours after the incident.

“This is just to update the public that the divers deployed to the scene of the helicopter crash yesterday at the Atlantic Ocean, near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, during a routine flight are still at work to find the remaining bodies and the wreckage,” the minister wrote.

He said the ministry will be making a more comprehensive press statement as soon as they achieve some breakthrough.

The update from the minister came about 24 hours after the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on Thursday said it had commenced an investigation into the accident.

Reacting to the incident, the Director of Public Affairs, NSIB, Wunmi Oladeji, said the NNPC explained that the helicopter went down into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, during a routine flight on Thursday at approximately 11:22 a.m. local time.

The spokesperson said the aircraft was en route from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the Anton Offshore Facility when it lost contact with air traffic controllers around 10:52 a.m.

“Operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), the helicopter did not transmit an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal, prompting authorities to manually plot the accident’s location to expedite search and rescue efforts.

“The operator indicated that the helicopter had 2 hours and 15 minutes of fuel endurance,” it said.

The bureau urged the public to avoid speculation as its focus is on providing clarity and accountability through its investigation

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, the Minister for State, Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, and other Nigerians have expressed deep sadness over the accident and extended their heartfelt condolences to the departed souls.