The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has confirmed the recovery of two more bodies from the site of a helicopter crash in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The crash occurred on October 24, involving a helicopter operated by East Wind Aviation and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
The aircraft, carrying six passengers and two crew members, was en route from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt to an offshore oil facility when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar, around 11:22 am.
Initially, the ministry of aviation and aerospace development reported three fatalities in the crash.
NSIB Director-General Alex Badeh provided an update during an interview on Channels Television, confirming that two more bodies have been found, bringing the total recovered to five. He expressed hope that the remaining three bodies would be retrieved soon.
Asked about the possibility of survivors, Badeh noted, “Unfortunately, the current working theory is that there may be no survivors.” However, he added, “Human beings are resilient, and as long as they have life support devices, there’s a chance we might still find survivors.”
Investigators are now en route to the crash site, though Badeh noted it may take several days to recover the full wreckage. He added that recovering the remaining bodies is the immediate priority.
On the potential causes, Badeh suggested that adverse weather conditions could have been a factor, stating, “That might have had a role to play. Beyond that, I can’t confirm anything until we retrieve the flight recorder and gather further witness accounts.”
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