Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has dispatched a helicopter to transport the fourth recovered body from last week’s helicopter crash near Bonny Finima to a designated facility.
Keyamo said this in a statement on his X account on Monday.
This update follows an earlier announcement from Keyamo, who disclosed on Sunday that the body of a fourth victim had been identified.
In a statement on his X account on Sunday, Keyamo revealed that the NSIB had notified him about the discovery. “An additional body was confirmed by matching the T-shirt worn to the description provided. Although it took time, photographic evidence confirmed the identity as the fourth victim,” he stated.
The NSIB reported that arrangements had been made with Eastwind Aviation for an air ambulance to transport the body on Monday, with Antan Security informing the Port Harcourt Marine Police to prepare for its arrival.
According to the statement, “07: 00 AM: Survey operations commenced, and divers entered the water to begin underwater search and recovery efforts.
“4:20 PM: A helicopter was dispatched to retrieve the fourth recovered body, which was transported to a designated facility.
“5:30 PM: Search and rescue operations were suspended for the day due to diminishing light, with plans to resume at first light tomorrow.”
The tragic incident involved a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registered as 5N-BQG and operated by Eastwind Aviation, which crashed with eight people onboard, including two crew members and six officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
NSIB director general, Capt. Alex Badeh assured the public of its dedication to both the recovery efforts and the investigation process
“Our thoughts remain with the families of those affected by this tragic event. We are working tirelessly with our partners to bring the recovery operation to completion and to uncover the information needed to understand what transpired.
“We deeply appreciate the cooperation and resilience of our national and international partners as we navigate these challenging times together.”