Military Plane Crash: Divers, rescue team intensify search for victims’ bodies, black box

One week after the crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, divers and rescue teams have intensified their search for the black box and the bodies of the victims of the accident.

The ill-fated ATR-42 aircraft plunged into a swamp in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State on 5 October, killing all 25 people on board.

The week-long search for the bodies of the victims and the wreckage, which began immediately after the accident occurred, has resulted in the filtering out of their torn pieces, making identification very difficult.

The operation has also recovered broken parts of the plane.

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the site on Monday, rescuers were still digging deep into the muddy waters in search of the black box.

However, this newspaper learnt that the search team may have finally located the exact crash site.

Efforts to get NAF and police officials to confirm the development were unsuccessful.

It was further gathered that the team has given up on finding the complete bodies of the victims of the crash.

One of the operators of the swamp buggies used in the search operation, who spoke to our reporter in confidence when he came out of the site for a short break, said the body of the pilot was found inside a part of the plane near the tyre.

“We found the body of the pilot, but it was cut in the middle and half of it is what was brought out.

“Apart from that, there have been little pieces of the plane here and there. We have little hope of finding anything like the main body because the impact shattered the plane to pieces.

“The place is deep, and much of it is muddy. We are now focused on finding the black box. That is the directive we have, and after we find it, I would not know what next will happen,” said the operator, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.

Meanwhile, at the riverbank, our reporter noticed technicians assembling a floater for the swamp buggies, also known as amphibious excavators, suggesting more machinery would be deployed for deeper searches.

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One of the technicians told PREMIUM TIMES that once complete, the tank-like equipment would be attached to the buggies to withstand the terrain’s pressure and let the excavators float easily across the muddy water.

“Today, we attached the floaters of a swamp buggy which was taken to the site for work. Once we are done with this one (pointing to the one under construction), the same thing will be done,” he said.

Concerns over water pollution

However, fresh concerns about water pollution have emerged, as the buggie operator noted aviation fuel and oil in the water, alongside the victims’ purifying body parts.

Residents say the river is also the Igbokoda community’s main water source.

The community’s traditional ruler, Afolabi Odidiomo, had earlier raised concerns about possible water pollution given the nature of the crash.

Mr Odidiomo said the difficult recovery conditions remained a major concern, particularly because bodies may have been in the surrounding water.