Aiyedatiwa visits site of plane crash, as search yields bodies, wreckage
By Julius Alabi, Akure
Hope of finding survivors of Monday’s Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, continued to fade on Wednesday as Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa visited the crash site and described the scene as a “very gory sight.”
Aiyedatiwa, who visited the remote crash site as search and recovery operations continued, said no survivor had been found, while the main wreckage of the aircraft remained submerged in the swamp.
The governor said parts of bodies, clothes and jackets believed to belong to Air Force personnel, as well as fragments of the aircraft, had been recovered and preserved as the painstaking search for the remaining victims and the cockpit continued.
The aircraft, an ATR-42 operated by the Nigerian Air Force, crashed at Igbokoda on Monday while reportedly on a special mission from Benin to Lagos. The aircraft was said to have had about 25 people on board.
Standing at the crash site, Aiyedatiwa said the full reality of the tragedy was difficult to comprehend, particularly because the victims were young Nigerians who had enlisted to serve and defend the country.
He said the cause of the crash could only be established through proper investigation, noting that the pilot, who was believed to have been in control of the aircraft until the final moments, would have been in the best position to explain what happened.
According to the governor, eyewitnesses told him that the aircraft appeared to be experiencing difficulty as it approached the community, with residents hearing a disturbing sound suggestive of an engine problem.
He said the aircraft appeared to be heading towards the community before the pilot manoeuvred it away from the populated area and crashed into the swamp, about 200 metres away.
The governor said the pilot’s last manoeuvre may have prevented an even greater disaster, stressing that a crash in the middle of the community could have resulted in extensive loss of lives and property.
But the swamp has since become the centre of a difficult recovery operation, with the depth and terrain making it extremely difficult for rescuers to locate the main body of the aircraft.
Aiyedatiwa said the wreckage was believed to have plunged deep into the mud, while the search had also been complicated by the difficult access to the crash site.
He disclosed that he directed the state Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp buggies, to open access through the waterways and enable larger boats to move closer to the crash location.
The machines, he said, were also being used to excavate the soil in the hope of locating more parts of the aircraft, the cockpit and possibly the remains of other victims.
The governor also disclosed that aviation fuel was leaking into the water, raising concerns about pollution around the crash site as recovery efforts continued.
During the visit, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Captain Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the search and recovery operation.
Aiyedatiwa commiserated with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Nigerian Air Force and the families of the victims over the tragedy.
He urged Nigerians to continue praying for the bereaved families, saying the deaths represented a painful loss of Nigerians who had devoted themselves to protecting the territorial integrity of the country.
The governor was accompanied by Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami, Secretary to the State Government Taiwo Fasoranti, members of the State Executive Council and Senior Special Assistant on Emergency Management, Wellington Oriade Adebawo.
