The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has confirmed a helicopter crash involving a Sikorsky SK76, operated by East Wind Aviation, which took place on Thursday.
The aircraft, carrying eight people, crashed at around 11:22 a.m. in the waterways near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.
The helicopter was en route from the Port Harcourt Military Base to the NUIMANTAN oil rig when the incident occurred.
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In a statement on his X account, Keyamo expressed deep concern and revealed that search and rescue operations were immediately activated with the assistance of multiple agencies, including the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, the Nigerian Search and Rescue Unit, and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
“The aircraft, with eight persons on board, ditched into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean,” Keyamo said, adding that no Emergency Locator Transmitter signal was received, making the search efforts challenging. He noted that manual efforts were underway to determine the exact location of the accident. “So far, three bodies have been recovered,” he confirmed.
Keyamo also extended his condolences to the families affected, saying, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those on board, and we are committed to providing the necessary support during this difficult time.”
Low-flying aircraft and the military have been deployed as part of ongoing efforts to locate survivors and recover the remaining passengers.
