The Embraer 120 aircraft with
registration number SCD 361 belonging to Associated Aviation Limited,
was heading for Akure in Ondo State where dignitaries, family members,
friends and associates of the former governor, had gathered for his
final burial ceremonies. Agagu died on September 13 in Lagos.
Although the metal casket bearing his
body was recovered intact, 13 out of the 20 passengers aboard the flight
were confirmed dead by the management of the AAL.
Others, who survived the crash, were
rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja and the
nearby Nigerian Air Force Hospital for treatment.
Feyi, Agagu’s son, who was speculated to
have died in the crash, was one of the survivors. But, Deji Falae, the
Ondo State Commissioner for Tourism and son of a former Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, Mr. Olu Falae, was not as lucky.
A handwritten manifest released by
Associated Aviation Limited contained only 17 names, even though the
airline said 20 passengers were on board. Those named as passengers were
Femi Akinsanya, Akintunde Joseph, Akeem Akintunde, Tunji Okusanya,
Chijioke Duru, Kingsley Amaechi, E O Alabi, Daji Bernard, Samson
Hassan, Olatunji Okunsanya and Deji Afolabi.
The manifest listed Soroh Elaiye, Felix
Fateye, Yakubu Oyinlola, and Owolabi Ibrahim as the crew members of
the 23-year-old aircraft which last flew on August 30, 2013.
August 30, 2013, while the age of the aircraft was 23 years.
The airline said, “We can account for
seven survivors, while the remaining 13 people were dead.” Mr. Tunji
Okusanya, owner of Nigeria’s most popular coffin marketer /maker, MIC
Funeral Company; his son, Olatunji, and Duru were said to be among
those that were killed in the crash.
Thursday’s crash happened 16 months
after that of an MD 83 aircraft belonging to Dana Airline occurred in
the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos, claiming 159 lives on June 3, 2012.
Agagu’s recovered casket
The casket was recovered by rescue
agencies at the tank farm of Sahara Group, where the plane marked 5NBJY,
crashed.It was conveyed in an NAF Ambulance with registration no AF
054 -Eo1 to the NAF hospital, a few minutes after 12 noon.
The plane broke into two with its
cockpit compartment seriously burnt, while the remaining part that
included the luggage compartment where the casket was, was slightly
burnt.
The remains of the former University of
Ibadan lecturer were due to be interred in Ondo State this weekend after
a series of events by the state government.
Plane lost engine after take-off
Aviation sources said the plane lost an engine immediately after take-off.
One of the sources, who confided in The PUNCH, said the pilot tried to return to the airport when the aircraft crashed about 800 metres away from the airport.
Rescue Operation
All relevant security and emergency
agencies comprising the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Police, Federal Road
Safety Corps, Red Cross and the Lagos State Fire Services, were present
at the crash site.
Others included the Nigerian Air Force personnel and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.
The LASEMA General Manager, Mr. Rasaq
Fadipe, who was one of the top government officials at the scene of the
crash, said the agency received a distress call around 9.30am and
immediately mobilised men and equipment to the site.
“We took three fire fighting trucks,each
with 10,000 litres of water, which my men used to extinguish the fire
that affected the cockpit compartment of the aircraft,’’ he said.
PUNCH
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