— Search intensifies for black box, 25 bodies
— Pilot averts bigger disaster
— Aircraft crashed 200 metres from community
— Military begins sonar survey to locate submerged aircraft
— Military chiefs visit crash site
By Dayo Johnson, Akure
AKURE — Seventy-two hours after the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, the main body of the aircraft is yet to be recovered.
This is despite the deployment of heavy-duty amphibious excavators, known as swamp buggies, to the crash site.
Twenty-five people, including crew members, died in the crash after the aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos, crashed into a swampy area opposite the Naval Forward Operating Base, FOB, in Igbokoda on Monday.
Since the crash, the remains of the victims are yet to be fully recovered, while the black box, which could provide information on the cause of the crash, is yet to be located.
The heavy equipment deployed by the Ondo State Government arrived alongside technical personnel armed with specialised detection equipment to pinpoint the exact location of the submerged wreckage.
The swampy nature of the crash site, located about 500 metres east of the FOB, has made access and recovery particularly challenging, with initial attempts using small boats and canoes proving inadequate.
Only fragments of the crashed aircraft have been recovered so far.
Aiyedatiwa laments gory scene, says no survivor found
Confirming the development, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who visited the crash site, said search and recovery operations for the victims and the main wreckage were ongoing.
Describing the incident as a national tragedy, Aiyedatiwa said no survivor had been found as of the time of his visit.
According to him, only the pilot could have explained the cause of the crash, while 25 occupants were believed to have died.
Aiyedatiwa described the scene as a “very gory sight”, saying body parts, clothes and jackets belonging to Air Force personnel, as well as broken aircraft parts, had been recovered and preserved for further investigation.
He said the main body of the aircraft had not been sighted and was believed to be submerged in the swamp.
According to him, the difficulty in accessing the site prompted him to direct the Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp buggies, to open wider access through the waterways.
He said the machines enabled rescue teams to move bigger boats closer to the crash site and were being used to excavate the soil in search of other parts of the wreckage.
“The aircraft has still not been sighted as of the time of my visit, while Navy personnel and local divers continued searching the deeper sections for possible bodies and the cockpit.
“The nature and depth of the swamp could have caused the aircraft to become deeply submerged in the mud,” he said.
“From construction experience and analysis of this area, for you to get to refusal level, it will get to about 30 kilometres deep,” he said, adding that the aircraft could have gone completely into the mud.
Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that jet fuel was flowing into the water, resulting in pollution of the area with aviation fuel.
He expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not crash in the middle of the community, saying that such an occurrence could have resulted in a major catastrophe.
According to him, residents who witnessed the incident said the aircraft appeared to be coming down with a sound suggesting an engine problem and was almost landing within the community.
He said the pilot managed to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community before it landed about 200 metres away and went straight into the swamp.
“Only the pilot could explain the effort made to manoeuvre the aircraft away from the community,” he said.
The governor commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, over the loss of the officers.
He also sympathised with the families of the deceased and the Nigerian Air Force, describing the victims as able and young Nigerians who signed up to defend the territorial integrity of the country.
He noted that President Tinubu had declared three days of mourning and ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast in honour of the officers who died in active service.
Aiyedatiwa urged Nigerians to continue praying for the families of the deceased.
The governor, who described himself as a man of faith, said there was still the possibility of a miracle, citing the biblical accounts of Lazarus, who was raised after four days, and Jonah, who was swallowed by a fish.
He, however, said that based on what had been seen at the crash site, he doubted whether any of the victims could return to life.
“May their souls rest in peace,” he prayed.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the search and recovery operation.
Aiyedatiwa visited the site alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Air Force, divers, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Director for the Southwest, the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, director and local residents who had participated in rescue efforts since Monday.
Navy deploys sonar equipment to locate submerged aircraft
Meanwhile, as part of renewed efforts to recover the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, an underwater survey using side-scan sonar equipment has commenced to map the crash location and determine the position of the submerged aircraft.
The sonar survey is expected to assist divers and other technical personnel in identifying the aircraft’s exact location and planning subsequent recovery operations, including the deployment of swamp buggies to facilitate excavation.
The operation has been reinforced with Nigerian Navy divers and Nigerian Air Force drone pilots using specialised equipment to conduct precise searches across the surrounding mangrove and forested areas.
In support of the recovery efforts, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, deployed the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department with state-of-the-art sonar scanning equipment to obtain a clearer underwater picture of the mapped area because of the turbidity of the swamp.
This is in addition to continuous efforts by the Nigerian Navy Air Arm in the recovery operation.
The development followed an assessment visit to the crash site by the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh.
The delegation was received at the Officers’ Mess of the Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, by the Commanding Officer, Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa.
At the base, government officials, community leaders, emergency management agencies and other stakeholders had gathered to express condolences and support for the Armed Forces.
Those present included the Chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area, the Commissioners for Health and Environment, representatives of NEMA, SEMA, the Nigerian Red Cross Society and the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, alongside personnel of other security agencies.
Rear Admiral Mustapha conveyed the appreciation of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Service Chiefs to the Ondo State Government, communities, emergency agencies and other stakeholders for their support.
He urged stakeholders to remain calm and continue to cooperate with the various agencies involved in the recovery operation.
The FOC also expressed appreciation to Governor Aiyedatiwa, as well as Hi-Tech and AUC Construction companies, for providing mechanised equipment to support the recovery efforts.
The delegation, accompanied by selected stakeholders, subsequently travelled by boat to the crash site for an on-the-spot assessment.
They assessed the situation and provided technical guidance aimed at facilitating the timely recovery of the submerged aircraft and its contents.
The team later visited the swamp-buggy launching point, where Rear Admiral Mustapha interacted with the technical crew and encouraged them to intensify efforts.
The recovery operation involves collaboration among military formations, emergency response agencies, security organisations, technical personnel and other stakeholders.
See photos below:
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