NSIB, NAVY DIVERS CONTINUE UNDERWATER SEARCH FOR CRASHED NAF AIRCRAFT IN ONDO (PHOTOS)
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By ‘Sefiu Ajape
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Navy have continued round-the-clock underwater search and recovery operations at the site of the Nigerian Air Force ATR 42-500 aircraft crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The NSIB disclosed this in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Wednesday, saying the multi-agency team had recovered additional aircraft components as efforts continued to retrieve materials needed for the investigation.
“Specialist divers from the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and Nigerian Navy are continuing round-the-clock underwater search and recovery operations at the NAF ATR 42-500 accident site in Igbokoda, Ondo State,” the statement read.
The aircraft wreckage sank into a swampy mangrove area following the October 5 accident, with mud, water, and difficult terrain complicating access to submerged sections.
According to the bureau, the recovery operation involves specialist divers working underwater, supported by equipment and other methods to reach and retrieve components from the wreckage.
The NSIB said the operation was being supported by hydrographic surveys, satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, mud excavation and continuous water pumping. The methods are intended to help teams assess the submerged site, identify areas of interest and gain access to wreckage buried beneath mud or obscured by water.
“Supported by hydrographic surveys, satellite SAR imagery, mud excavation, and continuous water pumping, multi-agency teams have successfully recovered additional aircraft components,” it said.
The bureau did not specify the components recovered during the latest operation or state how much of the aircraft had been retrieved.
It, however, said the search remained active as investigators worked to secure materials relevant to the ongoing probe.
“Search efforts remain active to retrieve all relevant materials to support the ongoing investigation,” the statement added.
Materials recovered from an aircraft accident site can help investigators examine the wreckage and reconstruct the circumstances surrounding a crash. The NSIB did not announce any findings on the cause of the Igbokoda accident in its latest update.
The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, crashed on October 5 while on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos. Contact with air traffic controllers was lost at about 9.13am before the wreckage was located near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The Nigerian Air Force confirmed that all 25 people on board, comprising five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the accident.
The crash prompted a recovery effort involving the military, the NSIB, the Nigerian Navy, the Ondo State Government and other responders.
In the days following the accident, the Ondo State Government deployed swamp buggies to assist personnel trying to reach the wreckage. The state Commissioner for Health, Banji Ajaka, said the aircraft had sunk deep into the swamp, making it difficult for conventional vehicles and boats to access the site.
Ajaka said the swamp buggies were needed to reach the depth at which the aircraft was located, while divers continued working in the water.
The Nigerian Air Force also constituted a 12-member Aircraft Accident Investigation Board to examine the circumstances of the crash, determine its causes and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
The investigation is expected to rely on evidence recovered from the site, including aircraft components and other materials that could help establish what happened before the aircraft went down.
The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, had visited the crash site and assured the victims’ families that the military would investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. However, the authorities have yet to publicly establish the cause of the crash.
Meanwhile, the recovery process has raised environmental and public health concerns among residents of Igbokoda.
The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, had urged the Federal and Ondo State governments to expedite the recovery of victims’ remains and aircraft debris, citing an offensive odour around the river and concerns about possible aviation fuel contamination.
The monarch described the smell as “extremely offensive and unbearable” and expressed concern about its impact on residents who depend on the river for domestic use and their livelihoods.
His concerns heightened calls for the recovery operation to be accelerated and for the authorities to assess the possible environmental effects of the crash.
In response to the complaints, the Ondo State Government ordered fumigation around the Igbokoda River and directed relevant ministries to address residents’ concerns.
All Photos Credit: NSIB
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