Specialist divers from the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau have recovered aircraft components from the waters around the site of the Nigerian Air Force ATR 42-500 crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State, as the painstaking search and recovery operation continues.
The Nigerian Air Force said on Wednesday that underwater teams were working through difficult conditions to locate and retrieve materials considered relevant to the investigation into the tragedy.
Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the recovered components were being documented and preserved as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“The divers are working assiduously to locate and retrieve relevant materials for documentation and preservation,” Ejodame said.
He said the operation had developed into an intensive multi-agency effort, with personnel working day and night and deploying specialised equipment to gain access to difficult sections of the crash site.
According to him, hydrographic surveys and satellite-based search-and-rescue imagery are being used alongside mud excavation and the pumping out of excess water to enable recovery teams to reach submerged areas.
“The multi-agency teams are working tirelessly day and night to maintain sustained efforts, supported by hydrographic surveys, satellite-based search-and-rescue imagery, mud excavation and pumping out of excess water to facilitate access to relevant areas,” he said.
The operation is being conducted with particular attention to recovering and preserving aircraft components that could help investigators reconstruct the final moments of the flight and determine the cause of the crash.
The NAF ATR 42-500 aircraft, with registration number NAF 931, crashed at Igbokoda on October 5.
The military aircraft was carrying 25 people — five crew members and 20 passengers — when it went down, turning what should have been a routine flight into a national tragedy.
Search, recovery, and investigative teams have remained at the scene as authorities continue the painstaking task of recovering material from the wreckage and piecing together what happened to the aircraft.
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