file photo

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) announced on Thursday that it has located the wreckage of a Sikorsky SK76 helicopter, operated by Eastwind Aviation, which crashed on October 24, 2024, in the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, Rivers State. NSIB’s Director of Public Affairs, Bimbo Oladeji, confirmed that the helicopter, with registration 5N BQG, had eight people onboard when it went down.

The wreckage was found approximately 0.775 nautical miles from the FPSO Adoon at a depth of 42 meters, with coordinates at Latitude 04° 13.634′ N and Longitude 008° 19.442′ E. The helicopter’s tail boom has already been recovered.

NSIB Director General Alex Badeh Jr praised the recovery team’s efforts, calling the discovery a “critical milestone” for understanding the cause of the accident and ensuring closure for the affected families. Recovery efforts are ongoing to retrieve the remaining parts of the wreckage.

The helicopter, engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), had departed from Port Harcourt Military Base en route to the FPSO NUIMS ANTAN oil rig. So far, four bodies have been recovered, while efforts to locate the others continue.