All four persons on board a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Super Puma helicopter, including the two pilots and their two passengers, on Friday sustained varying degrees of injuries following the crash of their aircraft.

The helicopter, which crashed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, was said to have been used for training by military personnel.
Upon crashing, one of the blades of the helicopter was said to have broken off, before the chopper burst into flames.

But the quick response of emergency agencies including the airport fire services, led to the fire being put off  promptly and the four persons on board being rescued.

In a statement made available to THISDAY and signed by the Director of Public Relations (DOPRI), Air Commodore D.J. Alonge, for the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun, he debunked claims that lives were lost in the crash.



He said, "A Super Puma helicopter belonging to the Nigerian Air Force on training mission in Lagos at about 10am (while) returning to the apron after the completion of the training exercise suffered severe damage.

"The damage was due to hydraulic failure in taxi to the hangar. There was no casualty recorded; however, the main rector debris caused damage to some ground equipment.

"Consequently, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal AN Amosun, has ordered immediate investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident."

Also confirming the incident, the South-west Zonal Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the helicopter crashed immediately after it took off from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA).

He said, "One of the helicopters in the presidential fleet crash-landed immediately after take-off in the MMIA with two pilots and two passengers.
"They sustained minor injuries due to the prompt response by emergency responders including that of the Airport fire services.

"The fire was put out quickly in order to rescue the trapped victims, thus no life was lost. The NAF has since removed the wreckage of the crashed chopper."