At least three people died when a helicopter crashed in Nigeria on its way to an offshore oil production facility on Thursday, the state-owned oil firm NNPC said.
The helicopter, operated by East Winds Aviation, lost contact while flying from Port Harcourt to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading Antan oil production facility, NNPC said.
It was carrying eight people, NNPC added, six passengers and two crew members.
Search and rescue efforts were under way and aviation authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye said.
Nigeria's aviation ministry said the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter “ditched into the water near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean”.
“While no emergency locator transmitter signal was received, manual efforts to plot the location of the accident are under way and all available resources including the military and low-flying aircraft have been deployed to assist in locating and rescuing any survivors,” said Odutayo Oluseyi, a spokesperson for the aviation ministry.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has had a poor air safety record in the past but has seen improvements in safety standards in recent years.
Reuters
At least three killed in Nigeria helicopter crash, oil firm NNPC says
At least three people died when a helicopter crashed in Nigeria on its way to an offshore oil production facility on Thursday, the state-owned oil firm NNPC said.
The helicopter, operated by East Winds Aviation, lost contact while flying from Port Harcourt to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading Antan oil production facility, NNPC said.
It was carrying eight people, NNPC added, six passengers and two crew members.
Search and rescue efforts were under way and aviation authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye said.
Nigeria's aviation ministry said the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter “ditched into the water near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean”.
“While no emergency locator transmitter signal was received, manual efforts to plot the location of the accident are under way and all available resources including the military and low-flying aircraft have been deployed to assist in locating and rescuing any survivors,” said Odutayo Oluseyi, a spokesperson for the aviation ministry.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has had a poor air safety record in the past but has seen improvements in safety standards in recent years.
Reuters
MORE: