President Bola Tinubu has ordered military officers involved in various operations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to join the search efforts for passengers of the helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
In a statement, Bayo Onanuga, the president’s special adviser on information and strategy, said Tinubu directed the military to provide necessary support to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and other relevant agencies involved in the search and rescue operations.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development confirmed that three people had died in the crash. The ministry also stated that although no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received, manual efforts are being made to locate the crash site. The government has deployed military personnel and low-flying aircraft to assist in locating any survivors.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited revealed that the helicopter, operated by East Winds Aviation, was hired by the national oil company. It had eight people on board, including six passengers and two crew members, and was en route to NNPC’s Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.
President Tinubu also extended his condolences to NNPC and the families of the victims, expressing deep sympathy over the tragic incident.
