NNPC helicopter crash: Tinubu commiserates with victims’ families…urges investigation

The President Bola Tinubu has commiserated with the families of the victims, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Board (NNPCL) and its staff over the helicopter crash off the coast of Bonny Finima in Port-Harcourt that claimed the lives of all the occupants of the ill-fated helicopter.

The aircraft which was conveying workers of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving all the occupants dead.

In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy on Friday, Tinubu expressed hearty sympathies to the grieving families of those that lost their lives.

“I fervently pray that the Almighty God will grant eternal rest to the three departed souls and comfort their families,” the president said.

In the statement titled: “President Tinubu Commiserates with the NNPC Board and Families of Victims Onboard the Helicopter in Port-Harcourt, the president, however, directed intensification of search and rescue operations to locate any remaining passengers or evidence, following the tragic incident involving the East Winds Aviation helicopter, registered as 5NBQG.

The helicopter, hired by NNPC Limited, was “ferrying contract staff” to the FPSO—NUIMS ANTAN facility when it crashed.

The statement added that in order to ensure a comprehensive support, Tinubu had urged military officers involved in various operations in the zone to join the rescue mission.

This, he said, was also to ensure collaboration with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and other agencies crucial to recovery and investigation efforts.

The Rivers State Police Command confirmed a helicopter crash in the Bonny axis of Rivers State, saying the two crew members and six occupants were on board on Thursday.

The police also said that its marine division, with the assistance of other agencies, had deployed a search party to recover the aircraft and the occupants.

A spokesperson for the state’s Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday night and sent to newsmen.

In another report, the military, the National Emergency Management Agency and emergency locators promptly initiated a search operations for the passengers of the helicopter.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, confirmed the unfortunate incident.

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