A Nigerian Air Force MI-35P helicopter has crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South-South Nigeria with all five crew members surviving the incident. The unfortunate crash occurred at about 7.45am shortly after the aircraft took off for an operation against illegal oil refining.
A statement by the Air Force spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet says “fortunately, the entire crew of 5 survived the crash with very minor injuries and are currently being attended to at NAF Medical Centre Port Harcourt.”
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, is currently enroute Port Harcourt to access the situation for himself, see to the wellbeing of the crew and give further directives.
The statement adds that an “incident of this nature is yet again a grim reminder of the dangers associated with military flying and the risks NAF pilots and technicians experience in their onerous tasks of defending our nation and deterring criminal elements from their nefarious activities”.