Military Plane Crash: Recovery Efforts Ongoing, Says Police Commissioner

More than 24 hours after the AT-42 Aircraft crashed on Monday, much of the wreckage is still underwater in the Igbokoda swamp.

Only a few parts of the wreckage and burnt body parts were recovered late Monday.

When we visited the scene, Naval officials had blocked access to the crash site.

Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, told reporters that the plane went down in a marshy area that is hard to reach.

He said only canoes can get there, making it tough to recover bodies.

Mr Ohagwu mentioned that the recovery is slow because many of the necessary tools are still not there.

"Most of the heavy technical support needed are being awaited. Most of the scene have been calmed down. We are still expecting a bigger machine to be able to pull the wreckage from the water," the commissioner said.

"We have to pull it. So we are still expecting a response from NEMA and so on and so forth, so that they come with a bigger instrument to pull the wreckage out of the water."

He said what happened on Monday was sad, highlighting the tough terrain, creeks, and mangroves where the plane crashed.

"Assessing the site of the crash was not easy. I had to use a smaller boat, a canoe boat, to assess it," he explained.

"We discovered that most of the body parts of the plane were just pieces. We saw the clothes, the body was only pieces."

"My men are still on the ground, trying to recover the wreckage. Both human parts and plane parts have been recovered since yesterday."

"They are still on the ground; we are on top of it. I thank the OC Marine, and the DPO Igbokoda, who have been on the ground since yesterday, giving us support."

"For now, the recovery of the wreckage is still in progress. I will not say much until after the conclusion of the investigation by the relevant agencies."

Mr Ohagwu also pointed out that the search has not found any survivors so far.

"There are no survivors yet. We are yet to see any survivors. No survivors yet. From what we have seen since yesterday to now, on-the-spot assessment, there are no survivors," he said.

"What we see is just body parts and the clothes littered everywhere. Passengers’ clothes littered everywhere. Body parts floating in the water, and so on and so forth. So, evacuation continues."

Meanwhile, residents are still gathering by the river bank overlooking the forest where the plane crashed, hoping to catch a glimpse of the crashed aircraft and the area.

Besides what the police have shared, not much is happening nearby since the accident scene is tucked away in the creek.

This reporter saw officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) arrive at the Forward Operation Base of the Nigerian Navy at Igbokoda around noon on Tuesday, along with some Red Cross workers.

Journalists and some security officials were denied entry into the operating base while senior naval officials refused to comment on the rescue effort.