President Bola Tinubu has directed military forces to join ongoing search and rescue operations following a helicopter crash into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday.
The helicopter, a 5NBQG registered aircraft operated by East Winds Aviation, was transporting contract staff to the NNPC Limited’s FPSO—NUIMS ANTAN facility when the incident occurred.
Tinubu instructed military personnel operating in the zone to participate in the rescue mission and provide support to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), among others.
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said his principal mourns with the board and staff of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and families of those confirmed to have died in the accident.
According to the NSIB, the helicopter carrying eight individuals – six passengers and two crew members – went down into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar.
“The aircraft was en route from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the Anton Offshore Facility when it lost contact with air traffic controllers around 10:52 a.m.
“Operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), the helicopter did not transmit an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal, prompting authorities to manually plot the accident’s location to expedite search and rescue efforts.
“Search and rescue operations were activated immediately, with the NSIB collaborating closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Armed Forces and other relevant agencies,” Bimbo Oladeji, the NSIB Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said on Thursday in Abuja.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident on Thursday, saying “Unfortunately, at around 11 a.m., the helicopter reportedly ditched into the ocean, near Antan Producing Limited’s Mimbo platform and FPSO.
“All eight persons onboard are feared dead.”
Femi Soneye, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer for NNPCL, confirmed that three bodies had so far been recovered in the ongoing rescue mission.
‘Although no Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was detected, authorities are using manual methods to track the accident site. Low-flying aircraft and military units are being deployed in the search for survivors,” said the NNPCL spokesman who extended the company’s commiserations to families of the victims.