Two amphibious excavators have arrived at the crash site of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft that went down in a swampy area of Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday, as part of the rescue and recovery operation.
The heavy-duty equipment, deployed by the government, arrived alongside a team of technical personnel armed with specialised detection equipment to pinpoint the exact location of the submerged wreckage.
The development came more than 24 hours after the aircraft crashed into the Igbokoda creeks, with the remains of the victims yet to be recovered as of 5:00 pm on Tuesday.
The aircraft, which went down on Monday morning, is buried and submerged deep in the swamp, making it a herculean task for the search team to operate effectively.
The crash, which has plunged the country into mourning, occurred when the aircraft, which was on a routine mission from Benin, the Edo State capital, to Lagos, fell into the Igbokoda creeks with 25 souls on board.
Sources at the scene confirmed that the wreckage lies in an area that is largely inaccessible, with murky waters and thick vegetation compounding the challenges facing emergency responders.
With the deployment of the amphibious excavators, residents of the coastal community expressed optimism that the development would boost efforts to recover the remains of the victims and retrieve the aircraft from the difficult terrain.
NAF Aircraft Crash: Evacuation begins as swamp buggies arrive