A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) MI-35P helicopter crashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State yesterday.
The incident occurred at about 7:45 am, shortly after the aircraft took off for an operation against oil thieves in Rivers State.
NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who disclosed this in a statement, said the five crew members on board survived the crash with very minor injuries.
Gabkwet said the injured crew members were being attended to at NAF Medical Centre Port Harcourt.
He said the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, was already heading to Port Harcourt to assess the situation for himself, and to see to the wellbeing of the crew and give further directives.
Gabkwet said: “Incidents of this nature are 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”.
