The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says the helicopter that crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, was heading to its floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility.
In a statement by Oluwafemi Soneye, NNPC spokesperson, on
Thursday, the national oil company said it engaged the helicopter operated by
East Winds Aviation.
NNPC said at about 11:22am, the company lost contact with
the helicopter – register number: 5NBQG — after taking off from the Nigerian
Air Force (NAF) base in Port Harcourt.
Earlier, the ministry of aviation and aerospace development,
said three persons died in the helicopter crash.
According to NNPC, eight persons were on board — six
passengers and two crew members.
“On the 24th of October 2024, about 11:22am, we lost contact
with the Helicopter – Register Number: 5NBQG, engaged by NNPC Limited, that
took off from Port Harcourt NAF Base en route the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN. The
helicopter was operated by East Winds Aviation,” NNPC said.
“There were 8 persons on board (6 passengers and 2 crew
members). The appropriate authorities have been contacted, including the
Ministry of Aviation, who have since issued a press statement. Search and
rescue missions are currently ongoing. So far, three (3) bodies have been
recovered.
“We shall continue to
monitor the situation and provide regular updates as the events unfold. Our
prayers are with the passengers, crew and their respective families at this
very difficult time.”
NNPC said the ongoing search and rescue operation will
continue to receive support from the national oil company.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com