Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has explained the deployment of two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to the site of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Aiyedatiwa said the machines were deployed to open wider access through the waterways and facilitate recovery efforts at the crash site, which is located in a difficult-to-access swampy area.
The governor spoke on Wednesday when he visited the scene of the crash.
The Nigerian Air Force aircraft, with tail number NGR 931, crashed near the Naval Base in Igbokoda on Monday morning while on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos.
The aircraft had 25 people on board — five crew members and 20 passengers — all of whom died in the crash, according to the Nigerian Air Force.
The crash occurred shortly after 9am, after air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at about 9:13am. The wreckage was subsequently located in the Igbokoda area, with the Nigerian Navy and Marine Police joining local efforts to search for the victims and the aircraft wreckage.
Aiyedatiwa described the incident as a national tragedy, saying the difficulty in accessing the crash site necessitated the deployment of the swamp boogies by the state Ministry of Works.
He said the main body of the aircraft had not been sighted as of the time of his visit, adding that it was believed to be submerged in the swamp.
According to him, Navy personnel and local divers were searching the deeper sections of the area for the bodies of the victims and the cockpit.
The governor said the amphibious machines would help create wider access through the waterways and make it easier for personnel involved in the recovery operation to reach the difficult sections of the crash site.
The development comes as search operations continue at the site, with movement to the area restricted as security personnel work to recover the victims and wreckage.
The Nigerian Air Force has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, while the Federal Government has also directed a probe into the incident.
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