Tragedy occurred in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Thursday as three persons were confirmed killed in a helicopter crash.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Odutayo Oluseyi, said eight people were on board when the helicopter, Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, came down at 11.22a.m.
The helicopter, according to the ministry’s spokesperson, was flying from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the Nuimantan oil rig when it crashed into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Ministry of Aviation said it has informed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and neighbouring aerodromes about the unfortunate incident, and they have since begun search-and-rescue operations in collaboration with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and other relevant agencies.
The Ministry expressed deep condolences to the families of those on board as it informed that: “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.”