YENAGOA—A tragic helicopter crash in Nigeria resulted in the loss of three lives as the aircraft was en route to an offshore oil production facility, according to the state-owned oil firm NNPC.
The helicopter, operated by East Winds Aviation, went missing during its journey from Port Harcourt to the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Antan oil production facility, NNPC confirmed in a statement.
On board were eight individuals, comprising six passengers and two crew members, NNPC stated.
Search and rescue operations were immediately launched, with aviation authorities initiating an investigation into the cause of the crash, as per NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye.
Nigeria’s aviation ministry reported that the Sikorsky SK76 helicopter “ditched into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean.”
Odutayo Oluseyi, a spokesperson for the aviation ministry, mentioned, “While no emergency locator transmitter signal was received, manual efforts are ongoing to pinpoint the accident’s location, with military and low-flying aircraft deployed to aid in locating and rescuing any potential survivors.”
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