The Rivers State Police Command has stated that all eight passengers inside the helicopter crash that occurred in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday, may have died.
Three persons were confirmed dead in earlier reports.
The accident occurred at 11:22 a.m. along the waterways in Port Harcourt when the helicopter, a Sikorsky SK76 with registration 5NBQG and operated by East Wind Aviation, took off from Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the FPSO – NUIMS ANTAN oil rig.
A total of eight persons were confirmed on board, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Odutayo Oluseyi.
The aircraft ditched into the waters near Bonny Finima in the Atlantic Ocean, the authorities said in a statement, adding that rescue efforts have been activated.
In an update, however, the Rivers State Police Command in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, noted that all the passengers may have lost their lives in the tragic incident.
The update comes after President Bola Tinubu ordered an intensified search, and directed the military to join search for the passengers involved in the crash.
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