THE Rivers State Police Command has reported that all eight passengers aboard the helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, yesterday are likely deceased.
While three fatalities were confirmed in earlier reports, the situation has since changed.
The accident occurred at 11:22 a.m. in the waterways of Port Harcourt when a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, registered as 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, departed from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) en route to the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN oil rig.
According to Odutayo Oluseyi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, a total of eight individuals were confirmed to be on board at the time of the incident.
Authorities have indicated that the aircraft went down in the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean, and search and rescue operations have been initiated.
However, in a recent update, the Rivers State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer SP Grace Iringe-Koko, has indicated that it is possible that none of the passengers survived the tragic incident.
This update follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ramp up search efforts and enlist military support in the search for the passengers involved in the crash.