-
AIB, NCAA withhold manifest
This was as a mild drama played out after the discovery. The fishermen cum divers, engaged by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), kicked against the money given to them by officials of the agency at the scene of the crash.
They said NEMA promised them N250,000 while it gave them N100,000 after accomplishing the task of retrieving the bodies about 10am.
More annoying, however, was the allegation by the divers that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Oworoshoki Police Station, diverted N30,000 out of the N100,000. One of the divers, Bernard Denakpo, said: “It took 13 of us almost two hours to locate and retrieve the two bodies. One was a white man, the other, a Nigerian. They were both trapped inside the helicopter cockpit. We used machete to cut through the wreckage of the helicopter, before we were able to drag them out.
It was also clear that his two hands were fractured. “The Nigerian’s spinal cord was broken. When we dived into the water, we tied his body to one of our colleagues and dragged both of them out.” On Wednesday, a Bristow Helicopter, said to be coming from Estravos in the Niger Delta, around 4pm, plunged into the lagoon. The helicopter had 12 passengers on board, including the Captain, Joseph Wyatt, and co-pilot, Peter Bello. Six of the passengers were rescued by the fishermen, while six died. The scene yesterday was still busy until the bodies were recovered. Soon after that, temper rose as the divers protested the amount of money given to them by NEMA official from Abuja.
They rejected the offer until other NEMA officials persuaded them. Their anger was rekindled after the DPO allegedly deducted N30,000 and gave them N70,000. The policeman allegedly said that the money was for his effort in inviting the divers to partake in the rescue operation. Mr Olalekan Oredugba, one of the divers, said: “We’re not happy with the money they gave us.
Before we started the rescue operation on Wednesday evening, a top official of NEMA, who approached us, promised that we would be given N250,000. “How will 13 of us share the money? The person the DPO sent to call us to join in the rescue operation said we should give some money to the DPO. You can’t imagine what we went through inside the sea while searching for survivors and the dead.”
Another diver, Bevenia Agosso, said: “We were on the lagoon, hunting for fish when we saw the helicopter hovering in the sky.
Initially, we were scared because we didn’t want it to fall on us. Immediately the helicopter crashed into the lagoon, those of us who were there dived into the lagoon. Our aim was to rescue some of the victims. We were able to rescue two people alive, before one of us called the attention of the police to the incident.”
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Patricia Amadin, denied the allegation that the DPO deducted N30,000 from the money given to the divers. She said: “There was nothing like that. NEMA cannot pay the police for doing their job. How will it be possible for the DPO to ask the divers to bring the money and he would then deduct from it?”
Meanwhile, the state government has directed pathologists to immediately commence autopsy on the bodies of the victims.
This is to identify the cause of their death. Also, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mrs Binta Bello, thanked the divers for their spirit of patriotism.
She said: “But before we talk about the cause of the crash, we want to commiserate with the families of those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. I came here in company with officials of other agencies under the Ministry of Aviation to witness things for ourselves.”
When our correspondent visited the Trauma and Burns Centre, Gbagada General Hospital where those who survived were rushed to on Wednesday evening, it was discovered that they had been moved to St. Nicolas Hospital, Lagos Island, on the orders of Indigo Drilling, the oil firm which hired the chopper.
The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Mr Michael Akindele, said: “We have recovered the two remaining bodies. They are those of the captain of the helicopter and the co-pilot. “Those we died have been deposited at the mortuary. What we’re doing now is the last batch of the operation. The two recovered bodies, makes six people that died and six who survived.”
When asked to disclose the names of deceased, Akindele said: “I cannot do that. My duty is to rescue them and manage the emergency situation. The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) will do that which must be in consonance with the family.” But 24 hours after the crash, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is yet to make public the manifest of all the passengers in the ill-fated. This is a new dimension, considering the fact that the aviation regulatory body had always released the manifest.
This has made stakeholders to wonder why the NCAA is hiding the list. At a press briefing yesterday, the Director-General of the NCAA, Captain Usman Muhtar, infuriated journalists when he said he was not ready to make public the names of those who lost their lives in the accident. His action was against global practice where manifests are either released by the airline or the aviation regulatory body.
Muhtar, however, directed the media to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). However, the Commissioner, AIB, Dr Felix Abali, also made it difficult. He too said he was not ready to release the names. It was insinuated that the two agencies could be hiding something vital about the crash. Abali said that the families of the deceased needed to be intimated of the accident before releasing the names, which is a total departure from the past. Abali, however, said the agency had commenced probe into the crash and was still searching for the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), both commonly referred to as black boxes.
He said that construction giant, Julius Berger, was still combing the sea to get the two vital equipment for their investigation. Abali said: “Search and rescue operation had been concluded after which six of the 12 persons on board, including the two crew members were fatally injured while the six survivors are receiving treatment at the hospital. The recovery of the aircraft wreckage led by Julius Berger Construction Company is underway.
Investigation continues with the gathering of evidence by AIB both from the crash site and the relevant organisations, including the operators and the control tower.” Also yesterday, Bristow Helicopter Limited promised to assist survivors and families of the victims of the crash. Bristow Regional Director for Africa, Duncan Moore, made the pledge in a statement in Lagos.http://newtelegraphonline.com/chopper-crash-pilot-co-pilots-bodies-found/
No comments:
Post a Comment