ANOTHER BRISTOW HELICOPTER CRASHES IN LAGOS

Another helicopter belonging to Bristow Group crashed on Wednesday while heading to Lagos from Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, but it has been confirmed that no one died in the incident.

It was gathered that the chopper disappeared from radar and crashed at 136.70 nautical miles from AEHA Field in Bonny Island, inward MMIA.Adebayo Kehinde, public relations officer of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), confirmed the crash to journalists.

The Accident Investigative Bureau (AIB) said there were nine passengers and two crew members on board the aircraft with registration number: N5BQJ.

When contacted, Michael Akindele, LASEMA’s general manager, said no life was lost in the incident. “The helicopter ditched inside the ocean, however all the 11 persons on board are alive,” he said. 

“Agip, Mobil and Shell oil companies provided speed boats, while Bristow Helicopter also provided landing boat for the evacuation of the survivors.

“Their survival is in adherence to the use of life jacket and the recently conducted emergency preparedness simulation of air crash by NEMA, LASEMA and other stakeholders.

Also, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, the spokesperson for the  Accident Investigative Bureau (AIB) told journalists that all occupants of the craft survived the accident.

“They all survived, they all survived,” the AIB spokesperson said when contacted for updates.

Mr. Oketunbi said search and rescue were apace and that his agency was in the process of circulating a detailed statement about the crash.

An official of Bristow Helicopter had earlier confirmed the incident to journalists but declined to provide details. The official said the company was still collating details of the incident and would make same public at the end of the exercise.

Initial reports said about 13 passengers were on board the craft at the time of the incident.

The identities of the affected passengers were unknown at the time of this report. The new crash occurred less than six months after another helicopter belonging to the same company crashed in Lagos.

The chopper had on August 12, 2015 plunged into the Oworonshoki axis of the third mainland bridge in Lagos, killing six of the 12 persons on board.